Miss Ever After High
by RavenQueenFan2605
Summary: A competition between ten girls... Who knows what will happen? T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Madam Baba Yaga floated away to put more signs up as Apple walked over. The petty blond read the sign:

**Miss Ever After High Contest!**

** Do you think ****_you _****have what it takes to**

**WIN**** the title? Girls, sign up now!**

_(Only __TEN__ will be able to compete)_

Raven walked up behind Apple and asked, "What's that all about?"

"Uhhh... Nothing! Just... uh... a Bake-Sale to help Woodland creatures!" Apple strongly disliked Raven, but the feeling wasn't mutual... yet. The blond stood in front of the sign and refused to let Raven see what it said.

"Cool! Can you please move so I can see what I can do to help." Raven looked over Apple's shoulder and quickly snapped a photo of the sign. Reading the picture, she looked at Apple, hurt. "There's no bake-sale, just a competition you didn't want me to sign up for." Before Apple could do anything, Raven pulled up the school site on her MirrorPhone, went to the Special Events page, clicked on Miss Ever After High, and signed up. After a few seconds, it beeped. The screen read:

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #1: RAVEN QUEEN_

Apple gasped. "Why would you sign up, Raven? No ones going to want you to win."

"So? I just want to try. I've never done something like this before, so, whatever after. It'll be fun!" Raven walked off, leaving an angry Apple behind. Apple pulled up the school site and signed up.

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #2: APPLE WHITE  
__

"Maddie! Look!"

Raven shoved her MirrorPhone into the mad girl's face. Raven was so excited about whatever after it was that Maddie couldn't read the moving screen. She didn't think to take the phone...

"Thanks, Narrator!" Maddie yelled to the sky. Aaargh! I helped!

Maddie gently took the MirrorPhone from her BFFA's hand and read it. "You want me to sign up?"

"Yes, Maddie, YES! It'll be SOOO much fun!" Maddie quickly typed some words into the phone.

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #3: MADELINE (MADDIE) HATTER  
__

"Guys!"

Briar and Ashlynn quietly groaned in unison. They were Apple's "friends", as the petty blond didn't really have any others. "Guys! Did you hear about the Miss Ever After High Competition?"

"Nope. How do we join?"

"Don't worry, Briar, I already signed you up. And you, too, Ashlynn."

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #4: BRIAR BEAUTY_

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #5: ASHLYNN ELLA_

"Apple, that's great and all, and we do want to participate, but what if we didn't want to enter?"

"Silly Briar, of COURSE you'd want to enter. Now, bye-bye! I'm going to get a new outfit for the first round!"

The brunette and the shoe-loving girl looked at each other and sped off to the Book End Boutique.  
_

Cedar and Cerise looked at the poster. "Cedar, do you think we should do this?"

"Well, maybe. It would be fun, but I won't force you to do something you don't want to do."

Both girls flipped open their MirrorPhones and signed up.

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #6: CEDAR WOOD_

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #7: CERISE HOOD_

As the girls walked to the Village of Book End, neither noticed Duchess smirk as she pulled out her MirrorPad.

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #8: DUCHESS SWAN  
__

Blondie stared at her MirrorPad as her roommate, C.A. Cupid, stared at the ceiling, clearly daydreaming. Suddenly, Blondie's MirrorPad beeped, snapping Cupid out of her trance.

"What's that, Blondie?" Cupid asked as she peeped at the blond's MirrorPad from behind her shoulder.

_Sign-up successful. Contestant #9: BLONDIE LOCKES_

"Cool! What's it for?"

"Miss Ever After High. It's a competition. Only ten girls can enter, so if you want to sign up, do it now!"

Cupid was ahead of her bubbly roommate. Her MirrorPhone was already out. After a few seconds, it beeped.

_Sign-up successful. Final Contestant: C.A. CUPID_

**Well? Was that okay? Should I continue? Please review! Also, just updating, to those that think I copied, I didn't. This idea was sitting in my mind LOOONG before I made an account on this site, and it was itching to come out, but I decided to do this one later because, honestly, I think I would have forgotten the other two stories (The Witch is Out (and it's not Raven) and Royal or Rebel Romance) if I had done this one first. Frankly, I have this story all planned out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Questioning Round**

"Everyone lined up in seats... blah blah blah... truth potion... yada yada... use questions submitted by students... blah blah blah... enter separately in random order..."

The audience nearly fell asleep as the Headmaster droned on and on. They perked up, however, when he boomed into the microphone, "And, entering first, C.A. Cupid!"

Cupid stepped onto the stage in a pink, shimmery, cloud-like dress, her hair glittering in a messy bun. Her wings were shown off as a result of her 'do and the backless dress. The dress ended right below the knees and she wore matching, light pink heels. The corners of her pink-powdered blue eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled. Sitting down, she drank the small portion of truth potion given her.

"Next, we have Blondie Lockes!"

Blondie strutted in, her canary-blond hair in an impeccable side-bun. She showed off a sequined, blue-black dress that poofed out (sorry, I didn't know a better word for what her skirt does in her usual outfit) at the waist and ended about equal to her knees in length. Her dress was faux-fur-lined, like her sequined, black heels. She sat down as the audience clapped and downed her potion in one gulp.

"Entering, we have Maddie Hatter!"

Maddie walked in to a quiet room, stunned by her taste. She wore a light teal dress that resembled a marshmallow, orange heels on her feet, black flats on her hands, and had stuffed all her hair up into a huge white hat. The audience clapped politely for her as she stood on her chair and drank her potion.

"Er, and we have Ashlynn Ella coming next!"

Ashlynn walked in, just on time, wearing a modernized ballgown. The ballgown looked as if it had been full once, but perfectly cut an inch above her knees. It was minty-green, lined with pink, and sparkled with silver. She had her hair in it's usual style with her usual pink tiara, and her shoes looked the same as her favorite pair (the silver ones that looked as if they wrapped around her calves), except in the same pink as her tiara and dress lining. Everyone cheered as she nervously sat down and sipped her potion.

"Coming in, Cedar Wood!"

Cedar stumbled onto the stage in a simple lavender gown that ended in the middle of her knees. The sleeves were white, as was the lining of her dress. Her lavender heels matched perfectly, as did the strands of lavender fabric in her braid. Grimm continued as the audience hushed down, after Cedar sat and drank her potion.

"We have Briar Beauty next up. Walk in, Miss Beauty!"

Briar came in, wearing a sleek, full-black party dress, matched with rosy-pink heels and her ever-present crownglasses. She walked dowabwn to her seat, sat down, and drank her potion, absolutely oozing confidence the whole way.

"Cerise Hood, walk in, please!"

Cerise walked in when the audiences quieted down. She had matched her ever-present hood with a black dress with red designs, silver lining, and no straps. Combat boots were on her feet instead of heels. Everyone clapped and cheered her on as she immediately went straight for her seat, guzzled down her potion, and tried to be invisible.

"Next in line, we have Duchess Swan!"

Duchess had put her marble hair in a bun and adorned it with feather and pearls. Her "dress" was actually a feathery-white tutu and sleeveless leotard with minimal black glitter covering it. She kept her usual white tights and black ballet heels. Everyone applauded as she glided over to her chair and daintily drank her potion.

"Up next, we have our own Apple White!"

The applause was strictly polite as she stepped out. She was wearing a full length, old-fashioned ballgown. It was white, with thin lines of gold criss-crossing perfectly. Too perfectly. The sleeves, high collar, and lining were her signature apple red, and her hair was styled to the side, with red ribbons in the strands. Her typical red heels peeped out as she walked to her chair and sat down after drinking her potion.

"And, uh, we have Raven Queen last."

Raven had cut her hair for the competition (see The Witch is Out (and it's not Raven) for details on it), and the crowd loved it. Her dress was daring, ending mid-thigh and slightly tight, but flowy below the waist. The top was tight, showing her curves perfectly, and it was strapless and backless. The dress was dark purple and shimmered as she moved. It was flecked with little amethysts randomly on the top part. Her hair was sparkling, as were her tall high heels. Her shimmery, dark purple heels were even taller than Briar's tallest pair (and those were TALL). Her lipstick was also dark purple and shimmery, and her sparkling eyes seemed more purple than usual due to the shimmery-black eye liner, and were dusted with purple eye shadow. Her luscious eyelashes had random little fake diamonds appearing in them. The crowd went wild, and got even louder when she smiled. Raven sat down and sipped her potion. After the crowd calmed down, Grimm began asking questions. This and this, that and that. After those easy questions, he began to draw them out of the box. Eventually, he had the last question. Scanning the faces before him, he faced Raven Queen. "Last question of them all: Do you have a crush?"

Raven blushed, and all the boys were hoping, _Me! Me! ME!_

"I don't have a crush." The crowd sighed.

She continued. "I am in love, and I just didn't know it until now." The crowd went wild.

Grimm continued down this line of fire. "Who are you in love with?"

"... don't wanna say."

"The potion will make you."

"... Dexter Charming"

The crowd was silent until Dexter stood up and yelled "Yes!" Everyone laughed and cheered as Raven turned redder and redder by the second.

"Okay, then. SETTLE DOWN!" Everyone immediately shut up, and Dexter sat down.

Grimm apparently decided he wanted to ask more people the same question to a few others.

"Duchess, same question."

"Sparrow Hood, duh." She appeared not to care as everyone cheered and laughed, but Sparrow could tell she was embarrassed from the way she wrung her hands.

"Briar?"

"Ugh!" She closed her mouth until she couldn't. "Hopper." She turned red, and everyone figured out that she had always been aware of her crush on him. Everyone giggled. Grimm was about to ask a very unwilling Cerise...

... when the timer dinged. That meant that the truth potion ran out of effects. Grimm faced the panel of judges, Holly O'Hair, Kitty Cheshire, Lizzie Hearts, and Poppy O'Hair. "Have you made a decision on who to eliminate?"

Holly stood up and spoke. "Yes, sir, and we choose..."

**Cliffhanger! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

"... Cedar. Mostly because of your dress outfit. The guidelines for this round stated not too dressy, but not casual. We had no choice but to eliminate you." Grimm handed her a consolation prize, a bouquet of violets. The animate puppet curtsied and walked off, stumbling a bit in her shoes. "We will display the scores on the board." Grimm boomed over the buzz of conversation.

_1. Raven Queen_

_2. Ashlynn Ella_

_3. Briar Beauty_

_4. C.A. Cupid_

_5. Cerise Hood_

_6. Duchess Swan_

_7. Blondie Lockes_

_8. Maddie Hatter_

_9. Apple White_

_10. Cedar Wood (eliminated)_

The audience cheered, then laughed when they saw Raven's eyes widen in surprise. The curtains drew over the stage. Raven stood up and walked quickly to the stage exit as the contestants heard the crowd leave. Surprisingly, Briar ran over and grabbed her arm. "What's the matter, babe?"

"I... I just told the entire student population about my... "crush" on Dexter, and I hadn't even known it myself. It was so shocking to hear the words coming out. I... I don't even know..." Raven trailed off, embarrassed. "It's okay. Hey, I admitted to liking Hopper. Hopper! And I knew it. Did you even SEE how embarrassed I was?"

"Yeah, you were pretty red..." The two girls giggled. As they were about to continue their conversation, Apple stormed up and stood between them. "Hi Briar! You wanna go shopping for the Obstacle Round?"

"Only if Raven can come, too."

"Oh, _her_? You don't want to hang out with _her_." Apple shuddered. "She's _evil_."

"Sorry, Apple, but I already promised Raven that I'd shop with her in a few."

"Wh-what?! You'd rather hang out with an Evil Queen than me, the most perfect girl in school?"

"Yep. Now, bye-bye, girlie!" Briar stepped past the steaming Apple, put her arm around Raven's shoulders, and walked off. "Are you sure you want to hang out with _me_?" Raven was obviously not used to going shopping with Apple's "BFFA".

"Yep. Anyone else you'd like to bring along?"

"Well, maybe Maddie, or Cerise. How about both of them?"

"Why not? Call them now, and I'll ask Ash and Blondie."

Twenty minutes later, all the mentioned girls were in the Book End Boutique. The guidelines for the Obstacle Course simply said:

_No magic use, no magical ability use, and no using enchanted object or animals. Make sure to wear a swim suit underneath your clothes._

Thus, everyone was trying on swimsuits, shorts, and t-shirts. After a long stretch of time, everyone had decided on something... except Raven. She was still looking around for one that felt perfect, and failing to do so. Finally, she came across the perfect outfit. After trying it on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She still had everything from the previous round on, but now, the outfit looked great. So did her swimsuit. when the girls stepped out after buying their separate outfits, boys that were just hanging around the Village were looking at the girls. Raven and Cerise, each unaccustomed to such attention, both tried to go back into the shop. Cerise succeeded, but Ashlynn grabbed Raven's arm. The shoe-loving princess whispered into Raven's ear, "Go with it. Be confident. Enjoy the spotlight while it doesn't seriously bug you, like it does to me!" Ashlynn winked and walked off, a few stares aimed at her butt. Raven straightened up, the tallest in the group (with her heels, no wonder), and strutted confidently down the sidewalk. She was a good actress, and she was trying to play the part of a confident starlet, but she was a shy, nervous girl on the inside right then. To those looking at her, she was gorgeous and confident.

The boys were mostly staring at her, and at her chest, butt, legs, heels. and hair. Raven wanted to barf.

As soon as she was out of sight range she excused herself. Running to her dorm (and almost spraining an ankle on the way), she ran into the door, unable to stop. She fell and hit the ground. Dazed, she pushed herself up, and saw a package on the ground. Assuming it was for Apple, she didn't read the tag. Raven knocked the door and yelled, "Apple! You in there? There's a package out here, and I thing it's for you!"

Apple burst out immediately and knocked Raven down again. The blond snatched the box from Raven's hands and looked at the tag, not bothering to help Raven up. Her hopeful face dropped and she said, "It's for you."

"It is?"

"Yes."

"Sorry." Raven said sincerely, but Apple was not having it. Fuming, the now shirt-and-skirt clad blond threw the box at Raven's head (knocking her down her again) and stormed off. Raven, while gingerly rubbing her head, picked up the box that read, in carefully written calligraphy, _Raven Queen_. She gently took the tag off the box and placed it into her purse. Still sitting down, she carefully unfolded the box...

... and in it was a beautifully crafted silver necklace, with amethysts laid in the necklace periodically. She put it on, and the necklace draped halfway to her chest. She gasped at it's beauty and read the previously unnoticed message (in the same calligraphy) on the back of the tag when it fell out.

_Dear Raven,_

_When I heard your answer to Grimm's question, I was astonished. And so happy. I feel the same. If you want, meet me at the Wonderland Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe at 7._

_Dex_

Raven smiled and laughed. She quickly went onto MyChapter (after the competition, she had updated it to 'surprised' and 'happy, with a pic of her and the caption, "Miss Ever After High first round over! #stressful) and updated to 'excited' with a picture of her necklace. Checking the time, she saw it was 6:50. She shrieked a little and began to run to the Shoppe. As she ran, she hexted her friends what happened and shut her phone off. How she did it seemed impossible, but she did it.

She stopped in front of the Tea Shoppe, checked her compact mirror and smoothed her hair a little, and walked in.

**This chapter is over for now! I will try to update soon, but please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Raven scanned the Shoppe, looking for her favorite adorkable Charming. Before she could see him, however after, the Mad Hatter pooped up and asked, "How is a raven like a writing desk?"

"Neither eat steak."

"Good, good! Meeting someone?"

"Yeah, I think. Dexter Charming?"

"Description? I get a lot of customers." It was true; the Shoppe was filled with people.

"Brown hair, gold semi-crown, blue eyes, glasses."

"This way." The Mad Hatter walked her to a table and sat her down. Noticing it was empty, she opened her mouth to ask why, but the crazy tea shop owner said, "Your early. It's 6:55. The boy had said he'd be strictly on time. Or, that he'd try to be." Suddenly, the doors opened and Dexter's head popped in. "Uh, hey?" He hadn't noticed Raven yet. Quicker than the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter grabbed the nerd's arm and pulled him to the table. When Dexter sat down (more like tossed into the chair), his glasses fell off, and Raven caught them. She put them on the squinting boy's face, and as soon as he registered Raven, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wow, uh, Rae, uh... you look gort, uh, great, sorry... You looked, er, hexcellent on stage... and you look even better right now... uh..."

Raven giggled. She knew the prince was adorably awkward, but he was stuttering even more than usual. "You look great, too."

"Re-really?"

"Yep." The prince was wearing a t-shirt in his signature blue color and ripped blue jeans. He was also wearing his blue Converse. He kept his semi-crown and normal glasses, though. He reddened a little as Raven took his hand.

A couple hours later, Raven spun into the dorm with her updated MyChapter Page (a selfie of her and Dexter in front of the Shoppe; 'happy' 'indescribable'; "First date EVER AFTER! #bestdayeverafter"), zapped her pajamas on and make-up off, and collapsed on her bed in a deep sleep, ready for the next round of the competition, but savoring her happy lightness.  
_

"Contestants will run through Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the Course, and then reveal their swimsuits and swim a two-hundred. How they swim doesn't matter. If you fail to make it through any of the phases or the swimming, run out of time, OR give up in the middle, you do not have immunity. Those who make it through the entire Course will have immunity. Contestants, step out please!"

Everyone was at the outdoor arena, and the girls stepped in single-file line towards Headmaster Grimm.

Apple led the line, her blond hair in a ponytail. Her shirt was pure white and her shorts were apple red. Red-and-gold sneakers adorned her feet. Right behind, Duchess had a black shirt and white shorts, her hair in a bun. Her ballet shoes had been exchanged for black-and-white sneakers. Cerise gained a few mutters due to her red swim cap. Her shirt was red and her shorts black, her sneakers matching her shorts. Blondie followed in a yellow shirt, blue shorts, blue sneakers, and a high ponytail. Briar sashayed in a pink shirt, black shorts, pink sneakers, and a messy bun. Cupid walked in a slightly pink-tinted shirt that was almost white, light pink shorts, and darker pink shoes. Her hair was loosely tied up, and her wings would definitely drag her down in the race. Ashlynn came in behind Cupid, in a mint-green shirt, coral shorts, and mint-green shoes, her hair in a proper bun. Maddie followed close behind, in an orange-polka dotted red shirt, blue-and-brown striped shorts, and flowered shoes. Her hair was in lopsided pigtail braids. And Raven...

She had chosen a black crop-top and a purple athletic skirt, with black-and-purple sneakers. Her hair was let down, as she didn't have so much it needed to be tied up. Each girl had goggles around their neck. As soon as the crowd settled down, after a shout of "I really like you, Duchess!" from Sparrow, Grimm said, Blondie, you'll be up first.

The blonde took her starting place and nervously wrung her hands. "Ready... Set... GOOOO!"

Blondie tackled Phase One, running across spinning logs covered in water over smelly goo. She barely made it across. At Phase Two, however, she faltered. Phase Two was crossing a rope slick with oil, and if you fell, you'd land in the same smelly goo from Phase One. Let's call it the Goop. As Blondie began to sloth-crawl across the rope, she lost her grip and fell. Angrily, she stepped out and stormed to the showers as the crowd laughed. "Next, Ashlynn!"

Ashlynn was sent to the showers at Phase One, as she slipped into the Goop. "Er, Maddie is next!" Maddie made it to the third Phase. In this one, you had to cross a five foot wide road filled with fake knights that would attack and push you into the Goop, which was on either side. Maddie made it and began to swim, until her time ran out, which was in the middle of her first lap. Grimm promised to the crowd that they would be able to see the other girls in their swimsuits after the competition, and Briar came up next. Each girl either made it to Phase Two or started swimming before they left to the showers. Then, Raven came up.

At the first Phase, she leaped a few times to get across. At Phase Two, she hung by her hands and swung across, one hand at a time. At Phase Three, she told herself _Dexter is in a cage at the other side_, and began to cross. At each knight, she would either flip over them by grabbing their shoulders and jumping and pushing, slide between their legs, or simply run around them. When Raven reached the pool, she took off her shirt and shorts and put her purple goggles on so fast, no one had time to see her bikini. Beginning her two hundred, the crowd went wild. In the middle of her last lap, the timer beeped out, _15 seconds left. 14... 13..._

Raven sped it up. Her arms were throwing back water and the water from her kicks was white and frothy.

_5... 4... 3... 2..._ Raven touched the wall right as the time beeped _1._ The crowd went crazy as Raven stepped out of the pool and stumbled to the showers. Grimm began speaking. "Wonderful... blah blah blah... yada yada..." Fifteen minutes later, Grimm yelled out, "Apple, show your swimsuit!"

Apple was a little disappointing. She was wearing a Royal Red one piece lined with gold and adorned with white sparkles.

"Duchess!"

Duchess was in a tankini. The top part was whit and lined with black, and the bottom was black and lined with white.

"Cerise!"

Cerise still had her hair up in a swim cap, but she was wearing a dark red one piece with black designs covering it. The swimsuit was also backless.

"Maddie!"

Maddie was in an orange bikini top and a brown bikini bottom. Both pieces were dotted with a florescent pink.

"Er... Ashlynn!"

Ashlynn was wearing a frilly, mint-green bikini that had a gentle pink swirling around on both pieces.

"Cupid!"

Cupid had gone for a powder-pink one piece that had a V-neck and had diamonds cut into the sides.

"Briar!"

Briar stepped out in a showy bikini that sparkled. It was frilly and pink with black designs.

"Blondie!"

She had gone with a functional yellow swimsuit that was meant for swimming, NOT showing off. It was lined with baby blue.

"And, uh, last is Raven."

The crowd was stunned. She had stepped out in a strapless bikini. It had a little fabric twist in the middle of the top part and the bottom stayed on because the front and back of it were connected by a shiny silver chain. The main color was purple, but the lining was silver. She smiled and stood in line with the other girls. She was rewarded with an icy glare from Apple.

The panel of judges, now consisting of Hero, Lilly, Daring, and Earl Grey finished their decision right as Grimm looked at them. "So, who will be eliminated from the competition?"

Daring stood up and, after flashing a smile to the crowd, he spoke. "Sir, we choose to eliminate..."

**This chapter is over! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Apple White and Blondie Lockes."

Everyone nodded, completely agreeing. After all, they had just remembered that two people would be eliminated this round instead of one.

"Apple, you only made it halfway across Phase One, and your bathing suit was predictable. Blondie, your swimsuit... supposed to be able to swim in, but able to "show off" a little bit."

Blondie accepted this and started walking to the table to receive her consolation prize, but Apple was not having it. "Daring! I thought you loved me! Why would you eliminate ME?! Fairest of them all?"

"Uh... this is because of the given reasons..."

"Shouldn't the fact that I am Snow White's daughter count for something?" The pair fired words back and forth, until Daring obviously had enough. "THATS ENOUGH, APPLE! I am NOT in love with you, and I think the Rebels need another supporter. Me." And Daring certainly did the unhexpected; he walked over to Cerise, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her, hard. It was obvious that they had done it before.

Apple gasped, and instead of running, she stood firm, with an icy glint in her eye, and said, "If that's how you want to play it, fine. I can play it that way, too." Apple shouldered her way out of the arena towards her dorm.  
_

"Hey, Dex, babe, can I stay in your dorm tonight? Apple's really scaring me." Her new boyfriend nodded. "W-well, Hunter's out f-for the night. He's visiting his p-parents." The adorkable boy smiled one of his sincere smiles.

A few hours later, she was laying on an inflatable mattress on the floor in Dexter's dorm. She simply stared into space, thinking about the day's events. Cerise and Daring together didn't bother her; it was only a matter of time. It was the way Apple had held herself; like an Evil Queen would. And Raven should know. Her mom WAS one, ever after all. Soon, she was lulled into the gentle darkness of sleep.  
_

"Dex, the Miss Ever After High competitors have the week off to rest, so do you want to go for a stroll in the Enchanted Forest? I have to meet Maddie soon, but we can go walk down the looping path. The one that leads to the log."

"Why not?" He softly held her hand as they walked into the forest, unaware of the figure lurking in the trees.

Halfway to the log, where Nevermore lived, they were giggling so hard they had to stop. "I.. I don't... know... how Apple... is funny... right now, but she is." Dexter nodded his head, still trying to control his laughs. When they stopped, they stared into each other's eyes, and immediately, a make-out session began. In the middle, Raven's eyes fluttered open, and she saw a flaming tree silently falling towards them. She had one choice: save Dexter, or save herself.

She pushed Dexter away, using her strength and her magic to push him far, and his pale face was the last thing she saw before the fire burned all around her.  
_

Apple was satisfied. She had missed the boy, due to Raven, but the black-and-purple haired girl was in the flames. She cackled, sounding like a demon returned from Hell, and then noticed a large dragon fly over the flames and pick up a limp, slightly pink body, it's clothes in flames. The dragon shook out the fire and flew towards the castle. Apple looked at the boy on the ground, staring at Raven being flown away, obviously in shock.

She waited a few seconds, and Dexter snapped out of it. He grabbed his phone and shakily dialed a number. "Hey, Headmaster Grimm? Well, part of the Enchanted Forest's on fire, and you have a dragon named Nevermore carrying a burnt Raven towards you... I think she''l be hurt... Yes please have people ready to help... Thank you so much." He began to run, but fell in a heap. Dexter pulled himself up, dusted himself off, and began to run again. Apple frowned. _That was supposed to be foolproof. Why?_ Then, she realized. She had forgotten one variable. Nevermore.

**I will continue later! So sorry it took so long for a new chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Raven? Uhh, you there yet? Please wake uuuppppp..." Dexter's voice trailed into sobs. Raven listened to him cry. She felt him hug her limp body. Why couldn't she move? Tell him that she wasn't dead? Why? Then, the darkness she saw got darker and she went unconscious.  
_

It had been four days since the flaming tree fell and hurt Raven. At first, he tried to be positive that she'd recover, but as the days passed, his hope gradually diminished. He had been at her side since she got into the hospital. Lot's of people had visited, most leaving a card or small gift at her bedside. The only person that hadn't visited her (or didn't seem to care) was Apple.

Dexter's life had been passing like a blur. He didn't care what happened, and he only did stuff when he was told to. It was as if the hospital had two patients instead of one. On the second day, they had tried to kick him out, but he harmed them badly, and would have done worse until they realized that he would do whatever after it took to be by his girlfriend.

After sobbing into her neck, he settled down and stared into space, but only when he had no more energy. After a few hours or so (he wasn't keeping track of time), he heard a small groan. Dexter refocused and looked at comatose Raven. A few seconds passed, and Raven's lips opened slightly and released another groan. Dexter yelled, "Hey! HEY! Anybody! Raven's awake! Come on!"

"What's her patient number?"

"2462085!" A few minutes passed, and soon an entire team of medical staff burst into the room and began looking at Raven. They prodded her here and there and spoke a few words. After doing standard protocol, they began to leave. But, Dexter saw something happen. "Wait! Seriously! She's awake!"

It was true. Raven's fingers began to flex, along with her toes. Her head began to toss a little from side to side as she released her third groan. As everyone watched, she continued to do this for a few minutes. Then, so suddenly that everyone, hexcept Dexter, jumped, she sat straight up and her eyes opened. "Where the hex am I.. ow!"

"Hey, uh, y-you saved m-me, and N-Nevermore saved you. I m-made sure th-that she could l-land and th-that they'd be r-ready to help you. You're in th-the hospital..."  
_

Raven heard Dexter's words and looked at his face from her pillow. He definitely wasn't in his best shape. His clothes were rumpled, his messy brown hair messier than usual, his golden crown askew to the side, and his glasses were tilted. "H-how long has it been?"

"Uh... I'm n-not sure. D-didn't keep t-track of time." Then, Dexter suddenly began to cry.

Raven was surprised at his outburst. She knew he was hard on himself and constantly comparing himself to Daring, the 'perfect prince', but he had never after cried, at least, not in front of her. Even though the action hurt her, she moved her hand onto his, and asked, "Are you.. ow... all right?"

"Yeah. I-I'm just so happyyyyy that y-you're alllllright... I was so scared that I shut down completely..."

"But... ow... I'm better... now... better's a... relative term... still not so good, obviously."

A female doctor with slightly grayed blond hair in a bun interrupted the emotional teenage couple. "You two, please be quiet. I need to tell the condition of our patient, Raven. Please remember that all your wounds will heal completely, but the major ones might scar, UNLESS we use magic. But that will be hextremely painful. So listen close:

"Raven has a broken leg and arm, both on the left. Your head and face are fine, but you have burns varying from major to minor on your shoulders, neck, torso, and legs. Your right wrist is fractured, and you might need surgery on your right leg, depending on how it heals. Your right leg seems to be broken everywhere, along with being covered by major burns and cuts."

Raven gasped. She looked at Dexter and lightly squeezed his hand. He looked shocked at Raven's delicate condition. The doctor continued. "While you were in your short coma, your internal injuries miraculously healed themselves, so no damage there. Now, I am going to offer you a choice. You can let your wounds heal naturally, but they might scar, and it will take a long time for you to have full use of your body. Or, you can have us call in a couple of magic users to heal you quickly. It will take only a few hours to do and there will be no physical evidence of your accident, but it will be even more painful than your accident was. What do you want to do?"

Raven thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of each. "I choose magic." She thought that she was strong enough to do this. Also, she wanted to show that she could make it through the Miss Ever After competition without getting kicked out.

The doctor pressed her earpiece and spoke a few hurried words. "It will only be a few minutes."

Sure enough, Madame Baba Yaga and her Magicology teacher were by her bedside. "Uh, Dexter? You might want to leave. I imagine you wouldn't enjoy seeing Raven in pain, would you?"

"Okay, but can I wait outside?"

"Sure, but it will take a few hours."

Dexter left, pulling the chair he was sitting on behind him. Then, the Magic teacher and Baba Yaga began their work  
_

**The Trivia Round**

Two days (and a lot of painkillers, happiness, and spellabrating for Raven) later, the student body gathered in the Charmitorium. On the stage, there were seven chairs with desks attached to them. Each desk had a screen, a stylus, and a red buzzer. After he hushed the students, Grimm began to speak. "This is a Trivia Round. The types of questions that will be asked are multiple choice, fill in the blank, or choose it yourself. Each question will appear on the screen. For multiple and fill in the blank, whoever buzzes first will get to choose a choice first. Get it right, get a point. Get it wrong, lose a point. Choose it yourself is when they write down their answer on their screen. Once done, whoever buzzes first will have their answer shown on the screen. Near the end, we will have guessing. You will see what it is when we get there. All contestants, enter!"

All the contestants were in the same white shirts and black shorts. Everyone took a seat at a desk and got ready.

"First question..." Questions were asked and answered. Finally, it was time for guessing. Grimm's voice boomed out. "You will try to guess which secret applies to which contestant and write it down on your screen, then buzz in to show it. If it's right, then you get a point. If it's wrong, you lose TWO points."

The girls gasped and began to yell about how people would know some of their secrets. Grimm shushed them and the pumped-up crowd and began. "Which girl... secretly sleeps with a stuffed toy poodle named Mr. Bon-Bons?" Snickers immediately filled the air, and the contestants immediately began looking at the others, trying to find out who's secret it was. Raven noticed Cupid absentmindedly stroking the end of one of her wings, and saw her eyes dart to the screen occasionally so fast that it was hard to see. Raven began writing, and everyone looked and wondered what she was writing. The other girls began trying harder to find out who did it. Raven's pale hand zoomed out and pressed the buzzer. Immediately, writing appeared on the screen, spelling out C.A. Cupid.

"... Correct! One point to Raven! Next, who is obsessively territorial of their crush or boyfriend?"

Raven looked at Duchess, who was chewing the inside of her cheek. Write, buzz. Duchess's name was on the screen.

"... Correct! One to Raven! Next, who tends to chew her blanket when she sleeps?"

Cerise. One to Raven.

Who sings about whales when she's in the shower?

Maddie. One to Raven.

Who has forgotten the last day she had when she did NOT kiss her boyfriend?

Ashlynn. One to Briar.

Who is afraid of being alone?

Briar. One to Ashlynn.

Grimm finally reached the final questions. "Who feels like she is stereotyped?"

Maddie buzzed in. The words Raven Queen showed up on the screen. It was correct. People began whispering.

"Who is afraid of multiple villains in stories from her childhood?"

A minute passed. Cerise buzzed in. Raven Queen's name showed up again. Correct. People were muttering now. Raven was red in the face from embarrassment.

"Lastly, who is actually... THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?! How dare the computer write that question?"

Everyone was talking by now, obviously surprised. After a full ten minutes, Briar wrote down a guess. Raven Queen's name showed up on the stage. Surprisingly, everyone agreed. It was correct. Everyone cheered, and Raven fainted dead away from shock. She was quickly woken up by a bucket of water. Grimm yelled, "Be QUIET!" Everyone hushed. "Now, the list of the scores appears in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

**End of chapter! Please review! Also, sorry that the last chapter was so short!**


	7. Chapter 7

_1. Raven Queen 10_

_2. Maddie Hatter 7_

_3. Briar Beauty 6_

_4. Duchess Swan 4_

_5. Cerise Hood 3_

_6. C.A. Cupid 2_

_7. Ashlynn Ella 1_

"Ashynn is eliminated." Grimm said, obviously still fuming that Raven flipped the script and became the fairest of them all instead of Apple. Everyone began to talk, and the overall result was a loud buzz.

"HUSH! This round is OVER! Ashlynn, please come up to receive your consolation prize."

Ashlynn stepped up to receive her flower bouquet (all consolations are flower bouquets; for those who wondered, Blondie's were bluebells and Apple's were apple blossoms [haha]) of ocean lilies (made up) and walked off gracefully.

"The next round will be a songwriting competition! You have one week to write one song, with lyrics and muse-ic! You will need to have a recording of the instruments mixed, maybe with some of your singing, and then you will sing the main song part with the muse-ic in a performance. Contestants, the required words will be hexted to your !"  
_

**The Muse-ic Round**

An eventful week later (involving Bripper and Dexven dates), it was time.

Everyone waited in anticipation, ready for the muse-ic to begin.

Grimm introduced each girl before they said the title of their song and began to perform.

Briar was in a black tank and a pink mini-skirt, along with classy black heels.

Duchess danced onto the stage in a white, strapless leotard and a flexible black, knee-length skirt. Of course, she had her usual ballet heels (did she ever after NOT wear them?)

Maddie was, well... Maddie, in her crazy, hat-themed outfit (I'm gonna let you envision your own Maddie outfit here).

Cerise, who was hextremely shy, was wearing her usual hood, with a black tank and a red athletic skirt, and sneakers.

Cupid fluttered in, wearing a powdery-pink dress that billowed out at the end and matching pink heels.

Finally, Raven stepped in. She somehow managed the lighting so that, for now, you could see her face and nothing else. Before Grimm could begin, Raven spoke up. "Uh, hexcuse me, sir, but may I introduce myself? Please?"

"Ugh... fine. Here you go." Grimm handed her the mic.

"Uh, hi, so I'm Raven Queen..." Everyone began cheering. She waited for them to quiet down. When they finally did, she continued. "So, uh, I wrote a duet, and I'm singing it with Dexter. It's called Popular Song." **Note: I'm using the song Popular Song by MIKA ft. Ariana Grande. I heard of this song from a video on YouTube called Ever After High - From Raven and Dexter. But, it's a real song that was NOT made by me.**

Everyone began cheering as she stepped out of the shadows and Dexter walked on stage. Raven was wearing a a purple halter top with minimal silver glitter, a black mini-skirt, and a pair of purple shoes with black heels and soles. Her hair sparkled and her large purple eyes looked larger, due to her black eyeliner and black mascara. Her lips were a slightly sparkly dark purple and her smile was radiant. Dexter was wearing a black fedora, a blue shirt (same color as his jacket on the Ever After High site), and dark, stone-washed jeans, along with black converse. Of course, he also had his glasses.

Raven took her place with Dexter and said, "Okay, let's begin!" And the muse-ic started. (I'm just putting down the lyrics the best I can, so watch the video to here the music and see which parts are sung by Ariana Grande or Mika. Also, I'm making Raven sing Ariana's part and Dexter sing MIKA's part.)

Na na, na na,  
You were the popular one,  
The popular chick.  
It is what it is,  
Now I'm popular-ish.

Standin' on the field with  
Your pretty pom pom.  
Now your working at the movies  
Sellin' popular corn.

I could've been a mess  
But I never went wrong  
'Cause now I'm puttin' down my  
Story in a popular song.

Same time: Ah ah, ah ah  
I said I'm puttin my story in a popular song.

My problem,  
I never was a model,  
I never was a scholar,  
But you were always popular.

You were singing  
All the songs I don't know.  
Now you're in the front row  
'Cause my song is popular.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
It's not about who you are  
Or your fancy car.  
You're only ever who you were.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
And all that you have to do  
Is be true to you.  
That's all you ever need to know.

So catch up,  
'Cause you've got an awful long  
Way to go.  
Well catch up,  
'Cause you've got an awful long  
Way to go.

Always on the lookout for  
Someone to hate,  
Pickin' on me like a dinner  
Plate.

You hid during class and  
In between 'em,  
Dunk me in the toilets,  
Now it's you that cleans them.

Tryin' t' make me feel bad  
With the the things you do,  
It ain't so funny when the  
Joke's on you.

Ooh, the joke's on you.  
Got everyone laughing,  
Got everyone clapping,  
Asking,

_How come you look so cool?_  
'Cause that's the only thing that I learned at school, boy, uh huh,  
I said that's the only thing  
That I learned at school.

My problem,  
I never was a model,  
I never was a scholar,  
But you were always popular.

You were singing  
All the songs I don't know.  
Now you're in the front row,  
'Cause my song is popular.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
It's not about who you are,  
Or you're fancy car.  
You're only ever who you were.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
And all that you have to do  
Is be true to you.  
That's all you ever need to know.

Catch up,  
'Cause you've got an awful long  
Way to go.  
Well catch up,  
'Cause you've got an awful long  
Way to go.

It's all you ever need to know.  
You're only ever who you were.  
It's all you ever need to know.  
You're only ever who you were.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
It's not about who you are  
Or your fancy car.  
You're only ever who you were.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
It's not about who you are  
Or your fancy car.  
You're only ever who you were.

Popular.  
I know about popular.  
And all that you have to do  
Is be true to you.  
That's all you ever need to know.  
All you ever need to know.

The crowd went wild, loving the song. The couple on stage smiled and bowed. Even Grimm was clapping. The cheers continued for a while after Dexven walked off stage. Grimm faced the panel of judges, which consisted of Poppy, Holly, Kitty, and Lizzie. They were all quietly discussing so that the crowd couldn't hear. Finally, Lizzie typed in the order of the scores and the crowd began to count down with the screen.

"10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

_1. Raven Queen_

_2. Briar Beauty_

_3. C.A. Cupid_

_4. Duchess Swan_

_5. Cerise Hood_

_6. Maddie Hatter_

"Cerise and Maddie are eliminated. Cerise, you needed to let loose more. Some parts, we couldn't hear you. And, Maddie, we had no idea what you were doing up there." Poppy hexplained. Kitty and Lizzie were obviously dismal about the only Wonderlandian being kicked off, but they had obviously been overpowered on that decision. But, they noticed the glares Holly was sending to Cerise, and only a few people knew why; it was because Daring was her long time crush (and obsession; she had a broken hand mirror he had thrown away, one of his jackets, one of his hairs, etc.). Poppy, thankfully, wasn't showing signs of jealousy yet, since Duchess had been WAY too embarrassed to talk to Sparrow after the Question Round.

After Cerise collected her wildflowers and Maddie collected her, uh... bouquet, (I don't even know what it was, but Maddie was happy, thanks to the Wonderlandian's help on designing her bouquet) Grimm announced some closing stuff, blah blah blah, and that there would be twoweeks before the next challenge, just so the contestants could have some breathing time. After all, they were all so stressed, they could probably rip apart just about anything right now, if they wanted to.  
_

"Okay then, if we're all done with mani- and pedi-curses, why not play... Truth or Dare?" Briar asked the group of giggling girls in her dorm.

Briar and Raven had decided together that they would host a slumber party (in Briar's room, since Ashlynn didn't mind and that Apple was getting scarier and scarier by the day in the Raven/Apple dorm) for the current contestants that made it.

"Ooh, ooh, can I start?" Raven asked.

"Why not? Okay, then, got a question or two ready?"

"Ookaaay, Briar, Truth or Dare?"

"Uh, truth, please?"

"Hmm... what is your fairy favorite thing about Hopper?"

"Uh... he's actually a fairy good kisser. I mean, who knew? Also, he's not turning into a frog as much as he usually does." (Note: I am going to skip not-so-big questions from now on, so don't be confused.  
_

Cupid: "Duchess, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to ask Sparrow out! Right now!"

"Uhh, do I have to?"

"Unless you want to answer this question: *whisper* *whisper*"

"... okay, Cupid." Duchess pulled out her phone and went to contacts.

"You have his number?" Briar asked.

"Yes, we are really good friends. Now shush. It's ringing... Oh, hey Sparrow... yeah, sorry I've been ignoring you for a while, been embarrassed... I know it's not cool to ignore you... sorry... I was just wondering if you'd like to go to the Wonderland Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe tomorrow... Is it a date? Yes, duh! What did you think I was asking?! Okay, bye!" Duchess pulled the phone down and put it on speaker. "He always forgets to hang up, so I usually have to. Listen!"

The girls crowded around the phone, holding their giggles in. The MirrorPhone's speakers were blaring a new guitar riff being played by Sparrow, from wherever after he was. Also, he was saying things things that basically meant he was super hexcited.

Duchess hung up and the girls laughed their heads off.  
_

Briar: "Raven, T or D?"

"Truth."

"Hmm... What is one thing you hate about yourself?"

"Uh... that people think I'm evil. I'm not. It's not FAIR!" Raven accidentally blasted a flower vase. "Oops! I am so sorry, Briar. So sorry sorry sorry. I'll pay for it."

"Meh, it's fine. I was gonna get rid of it anyway."  
_

Duchess: "Cupid? Truth or Dare?"

"Dare?"

"I dare you to tell us our True Heart's Desires, AND if it's true love. If it's not, then tell us who our True Love is, destined or not." (Yes, Cupid can tell you your True Heart's Desire and True Love. In my story, that is.)

"Sure, okay. Duchess, you first." Cupid put her fingers on the side of her head and squinted her eyes. "... Sparrow is your True Heart's Desire and True Love." Everyone giggled. "Your True Love is HIM? He's kinda... self-obsessed sometimes. And arrogant."

"He's getting better, Raven!"

"Okay, just joking around... I think."

Cupid began speaking to Briar. She had been finding Briar's True Love and True Heart's Desire right after she found Duchess's. "... Yours is Hopper. True Heart's Desire AND True Love."

Everyone giggled a bit and Duchess said, "Your True Love is that dork?"

"So what? He's really nice and actually not that dorky."

"Shush! Raven's is... is..." Cupid sniffled and looked sad for a second.

"Are you all right?" Raven asked.

"Y-yeah, just allergies... Okay, both of yours are Dexter Charming."

Everyone squealed and cheered (Cupid seemed less enthusiastic than the others). "Girlie, you two make the cutest couple EVER AFTER!"

"Really, Briar?"

"YES!"  
_

After everyone was done giggling and messing around, Briar snapped her fingers and hexclaimed, "Let's play CHARADES!"

"Yeah, why not? LET'SSTARTRIGHTNOW!" Cupid squealed. The four fairy-teens were hyped up on the sugary snacks that were put out; as a result, everyone was bouncing around, even though it was just past midnight.

The girls picked Briar to go first, but right as she started, Raven heard a ticking noise. "Guys, shh. Do you hear that?"

The girls stopped and listened. The entire sugar buzz stopped immediately. All the girls heard the weird _tick-tick-tick_ noise.

"I'll look outside." Raven offered. Everyone hexcept her nodded, and Raven opened the door and looked out. By a stroke of luck, she saw something Royal Red and glittering attached to the door. When she looked closer, she saw it was an apple-shaped bomb...

... and it hat 30 seconds until exploding.

"Uh, do you have pliers and a screwdriver?"

"Yeah, here."

Raven snatched the tools up, pulled the bomb off the door, and began to frantically unscrew the panel to the wires.

_24... 23... 22... 21..._

Raven looked at the mess of wires and began randomly cutting them.

_20... 19... 18... 17... 16... 15..._

Raven looked at the wires and saw she was almost halfway done.

_14... 13... 12... 11... 10... 9... 8..._

Only a few were left. Raven began cutting them with new vigor.

_7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..._

Right before the 1 could change into a 0 and explode, the 'fairest of them all' (according to the question) cut the last one. Grabbing the bomb, she stepped into the room and held up the failed exploding device.

"OMG, what IS that?"

"Was some psycho trying to murder us?"

"No, I think that psycho was trying to murder Raven."

"Who did it?"

"I think that Apple did it. It IS in the shape of an apple. Also, she's been locked in her and Raven's dorm for a while. Besides, Raven's nearly killed by that tree, then this? It has to be planned."

"I don't know. Let's not point fingers yet. Maybe it wasn't real and it was only a prank."

The girls settled down and watched a movie, but everyone was unnerved by the event.

Little did they know that Apple really was the one who had staged Raven's accident in the Forest and that she had made and planted that bomb...

... and that she wouldn't stop until Raven was gone... Wait, Maddie! Did you hear that? Please answer in your head.

Okay. Why, yes, I heard plain as day!

Ugh! Oh, dear... Anyways, what are you doing up so late?

Well, I got thirsty, so I went to the Commoner's Common Room and made a pot of tea in the kettle they have! Now, I will help Raven in the morning! Thanks, Narrator, you big slice of sugary-banana-pie-you!

Wait, Maddie... Oh, great, she's gone.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Day (involves Dexven, Bripper, and Duchrow, along with Maddie helping Raven, thanks to the Narrator)**

Raven walked around the school grounds, arm-in-arm with Dexter, with her eyes shut.

"Where are we going, the self-serve ice cream store?"

"No. I'm not telling. Also, why'd you think we were?"

"Well, I think you smell like their caramel fudge ripple ice cream, so I made conclusions."

"R-really? I didn't think I got that ice cream THAT often."

"It's fine. It's like me with salted caramel; I don't know how much I have until the bag's empty!"

"You're right! Once, I got so much that the manager had to tell me to stop!"

"Really? I wouldn't know from your abs."

"D-do you mean it?"

"Of course I do, silly! Unlike Apple, I don't lie about some things!"

The couple laughed as Dexter steered her to the destination.

After a few minutes (and a couple bumps into objects, i.e. bushes, fountains, benches), Dexter uncovered her eyes. "Come on, we're here."

"Wow... did you do this?"

Dexter's POV:

It had been worth it. The hours of painstakingly careful and detailed work had been worth it, just to see the look on Raven's face. I thought she'd like it, and I guess I had done a better job than I thought.

Raven put her hands on my shoulders and kissed me, hard. When we were done, I asked teasingly, "What was that for?"

"Oh, for this." She swept her hand across the clearing.

I had made a detailed banner, hanging from two trees, that said, "You're My Everything" in purple and silver. In the middle of the clearing, I had set up a picnic, and, honestly, cooking the food had been harder than the banner. And, for setting it up, I am just going to say, thanks Daring. He understood, as he was going on a date with Cerise today, and knew how it was when you wanted everything to be perfect. And, let's just say, the best part would be after the picnic.

We sat sat down around the blanket and I popped open a couple sodas. "Sorry, uh, your boyfriend can't cook, so the food is going to be kinda bad."

"Who says your a bad cook? I certainly don't. This salted caramel cake is to DIE for! How'd you know this was my fairy-favorite cake?"

"Uh... not hard to guess from your favorite food."

"Haha, okay, you win, Charming. But, seriously, this is really good."

Inwardly, I sighed with relief. I always thought I wasn't good at anything, but Raven was helping me gain self-confidence, thank goodness. Hex, in Hero Training, Sword Fighting, and Advanced Wooing, I was already doing better.

We finished the picnic, and I walked her to a calm pool filled with sparkling, crystal-clear water.

"Is this why you hexted to tell me to wear a swimsuit?"

"Maybe..." I began checking the pool as Raven took off her clothes. She was wearing her Obstacle Round bikini. She politely looked away as I pulled off my loose t-shirt and pants. I jumped into the water in a cannon-ball, splashing Raven. When I came up and looked at her, her face was in shock as water dripped off her hair and body. I laughed, then pretended to freak out and swim away when SHE jumped into the pool, splashing me.

"Do you need your glasses, sweetheart?"

"N-no... maybe... I don't know. It's hard to see without them."

She swam over and pulled them off, setting them on the side. Then, her face playful (as far as I could tell), she tossed a little water at me.

"Oh, girl, you wanna play that way?" I flicked some water at her. She threw her hands up to protect herself and splashed me again. Soon, an all-out splash war began.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed when we both stopped and hung onto the side, gasping for breath, both of us completely soaked.

"Ugh, that was so much fun, but it was exhausting, capital E."

"Oh, well, who won?"

"Oh My Grimm! You're such a boy! The first thing you think about is who won!" I could tell she was playing. I decided to take the bait.

"Actually, no. Here's what I thought about first." I began leaning in for a kiss. She met me halfway. When we pulled away, we looked each other in the eye, and began coming in for another. Until we were interrupted by Briar, Hopper, Duchess, Sparrow, Cupid, and Maddie charging into the clearing, with Maddie yelling in the lead, "Raven! *huff* *huff*. Something HEXTREMELY important! Sorry to interrupt you guys, but, *pant* *gasp*, need to know!"

**Bripper's date (all dates in this chapter happened at the same time, until Maddie interrupts them. Also, Cupid in this cuz she's one of the final contestants):**

"Yeah! That was awesome! Do you wanna... Oh, you okay, babe?"

They had gone to the amusement park via Mirror Travel, and they had ridden all the freaky rides that got Briar's adrenaline going. Poor Hopper was starting to look green, but not his frog green.

"Uh... not so sure..." Hopper sat down with his head between his knees, groaning.

"Do you want a drink?"

"N... no, I'm g-good..."

"Sorry I dragged you on that ride."

"It's fine." Hopper sat up, looking much better. "If you want, we can go again..."

"Nah, lets just go back to the Village and get an expresso or something before I... I..."

Briar fell asleep, her head landing on Hopper's shoulder. Hopper looked a little at his girlfriend's sleeping face, then picked her up and carried her to the Travel Mirror. He plugged in the destination (Ever After High) and stepped through. As soon as he was there, he put her down and pulled out his MirrorPhone, quickly playing a new One Reflection song. Briar sat up, disoriented. "Wh-where am I, Hopper?"

"You fell asleep so I... I..." Hopper poofed and turned into a frog.

"I carried the damsel-in-distress where she wanted to go." the frog spoke. Briar giggled and kissed him on the cheek, turning him back into a red-faced dork. "Uh, sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go-"

"Guys! Raven's in trouble! Come on!" Maddie yelled as she burst onto the scene, dragging a confused Cupid (who was known to walk around the Enchanted Forest randomly) behind her.

**Duchrow's date (note last chapter's dare for Duchess):**

"So, uh... any new songs lately?"

"A couple in the works, being written by yours truly." The red-hed smirked as he leaned into his chair.

"Really? What are they about?"

"Well, this and that, love songs, maybe I'm writing them in my head right now..." He looked at her with his meadow-green eyes.

"That's really cool... who are they about?" Duchess coyly asked as she twirled her straw in her Fairy-Berry Smoothie.

"Don't play games, Duchess."

"Fine... Hey! Where's my ring?! Sparrow!" Sparrow snickered, holding her ring up and sprinting away. Noticing that the guitar-playing guy had slapped down some money before leaving, Duchess sprinted after him, yelling and smiling at the same time.

"Sparrow, get back here! UGH!" She leaped through the air in long strides. He turned onto an obscure path into the Enchanted Forest, and Duchess followed. Soon, the ballet dancer was catching up. Eventually, she was right behind him. Duchess turned into a swan and, flying up, she grabbed her ring from his hands. Turning back in the air in front of him, she hit the ground running. "Catch me if you can, slowpoke!"

"Wh- HEY!" Looking over her shoulder, she saw him smile, even though his voice was frustrated. As she turned her head back to the front, she ran straight into a wide stream. Sparrow soon followed.

Duchess sat up in the shallow water, moving wet strands of hair out of her face. "What the-"

"Ha! I had no idea this was here! Hahahah!" Sparrow laughed. He didn't notice Duchess smirk...

... right before she splashed him in the face with water. He looked at her dumbfounded as she laughed. Sparrow splashed her right back and ran up the side. Duchess gave chase to the laughing boy. Then, halfway out of the Forest, Sparrow turned around and pulled Duchess into his arms and kissed her, right there, wet and all. It was a light, quick peck, experimentally. She kissed him harder, until they were interrupted by Maddie, Briar, Hopper, and Cupid. "Raven's in trouble! Follow, lovebirds!"

**Back to the present:**

Raven walked out of the pool, apparently angry. "What the HEX is SO important as to INTERRUPT our date, along with Briar and Hopper's and Duchess and Sparrow's?" Dexter began trying to say he didn't mind (although his face said otherwise), but Raven silenced him with a flick of her hand.

"Uh, I know who is trying to kill you." Maddie said in a sing-songy voice.

Raven immediately cooled down and looked at the mad girl in disbelief. "Wh-what? Also, how do you know someone's trying to kill me?"

"Silly you! I was awake in my dorm, drinking tea, and I heard the Narrator talk about how you showed the bomb, that you guys were unnerved, and that Apple was the real killer!"

"Oh, wherever after the Narrator is or whoever after she is, thank you! But, we can't exactly tell Grimm. He'd freak out and give us detention for accusing the daughter of Snow White of doing something like that."

"Uh, Rae?"

"Yeah, Dex?"

"Were ya gonna tell me?"

"Of course, but this date was so magical that I didn't wanna ruin it."

"Okay, I understand. Also, why is Cupid staring at me?"

Cupid was indeed staring at Dexter... and his abs. Everyone looked at Cupid as she snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry, uh... just kinda blanked out from that bit of info Maddie shared." Raven shrugged and asked, "What did this have to do with them?"

"So you could have some people to back you up. I also hexted Cerise and Daring about it, so they know, too."

"Can I get back to my date now?"

"Sure, go ahead!"

Everyone left to do whatever after it is they wanted to, but a cloud of gloom hung over them all...

... until the next round of the competition.

**So, next chapter is going to be another competition round, with drama! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Design Round (sorry, I'm gonna be lazy, but the underlining are the rules and description):**

1. There will be three rounds. Each round, contestants will be able to use magic paper and a new magic manikin.

2. The magic paper is enchanted so that any clothing drawn on it will become real.

3. To do hair on the manikin, simply picture what you want it to be and hold your left hand on the manikin's right hand until it beeps.

4. The three judges will write down a score of 1 to 5 for each contestant each round. At the end, all points will be added up, and then you will see who is eliminated.

5. You can model your clothes yourself, if you want. There are colored contacts and make up, along with a hair station.

6. Use hair station by choosing template and coloring it yourself, then get inside the machine.

Everyone cheered as Grimm finally signalled for the contestants to enter. Everyone was dressed casually, but Raven still shined like a star in darkness.

"And, now, our panel of judges!"

The only lights in the room was Grimm and the girl's spotlights, the jumbotron, and the glowing runway until a new, larger spotlight shone on the judges at the judging table. The light was on Poppy O'Hair (now hating on Duchess, but wouldn't let it affect her judging), Hunter Huntsman, and former contestant Blondie Lockes. "The theme is Cute and Casual. Begin!" said the blonde.

All the contestants entered their designated booths and apparently began working. Fifteen minutes to design an outfit wasn't a whole lot of time, after all. The crowd chatted, made bets, and goofed around on their MirrorPads.

Finally, the bell buzzed and everyone looked at the stage. First up was Cupid, who had decided to use the manikin.

The manikin strutted down the runway in a tight blond bun, a casual black tank top, white jeans, and black converse. Everyone clapped as the manikin left. The judges thought for a moment, then put down their ratings.

Next came Briar, who modeled it herself. She had changed her hair into a pure brunette ponytail with strands in her face, a pink t-shirt, black jean shorts, and short, casual black petal wedges, along with a pink beaded necklace. She strutted off as Duchess's name was called.

Duchess, like Cupid, had opted for the manikin, and the manikin had a black bob, a white t-shirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. It also had a silver headband and bracelet.

Finally, Raven came out. Her outfit was indeed cute and casual, but something drew you to it. Her hair was styled in a black pixie, with a simple silver headband. She wore a black off-the-shoulder top with minimal silver glitter, a silver mini-skirt, and black combat heels. Her usually purple eyes were now blue, thanks to the colored contacts.

Raven and Briar both walked into their separate booths and changed back to normal (by pulling the special lever in there) and walked out next to the others, waiting for their next theme.

"Uh, Stepped-Up Rural? Is that right?" Hunter asked Blondie. She nodded. Hunter cleared his throat and said it again. "The theme is Stepped-Up Rural! Begin!"

Eventually, Cupid's manikin stepped out. It was in a loose but tidy brown ponytail, along with a plaid button-up and dirty jeans. The sneakers were clean, though.

Briar herself followed, but in a black shirt that reached mid-thigh, camouflage pants, and nice sneakers. Her usually pink-streaked brown hair was blonde and cut at the shoulders. On top was a camouflage baseball cap.

Duchess sent out her manikin once again. This time, it had a mid-forearm sleeved white shirt, denim vest, messy jeans, and sneakers. The hair was black and down to the middle of the manikin's back.

Finally, Raven stepped out. Now, I'm going to be lazy and say that it was Raven with dark brown eyes wearing the same outfit and hair as the one in this link: /vintage-style/90s/1990s-fashion-trends/comment-page-1/. Copy it into your search bar. To find the picture, scroll down until you see the picture under the BLUE #1: Plaid - 1990's Fashion. In the picture itself, the outfit is the one modeled on the left. Sorry if you don't like that I got lazy!

The judges scribbled down their scores as Briar and Raven went back to normal. all the contes quite a bit of time was spent with all the contestants lined up, Poppy stood up. "Okay, so this part requires you to model an outfit yourself. Unlike the past two outfits, you will be able to keep this one..." Poppy paused to drink some water as the contestants tittered happily and the crowd cheered. Poppy continued, "There is no specific theme for this, so design whatever after you think will be best. Begin!"

The girls ran into their booths. Poppy faced the audience and said, "And we have a surprise in store for voting!"

Everyone cheered and talked hexcitedly. Finally, after so much anticipation you could cut it, Poppy announced Cupid.

Cupid walked up the runway in a haze of pink. She was wearing a light, powdery-pink and white tie-dye (like her normal skirt) dress that billowed out at the end, which was at the knees. The back of the dress trailed on the ground. It was hemmed with black and it had sleeveless straps. Her pink hair was up in a low bun and her kitten heels were a powdery-pink, along with her eyes lightly brushed with the same shade. Everyone cheered a little and clapped a lot. The adopted daughter of the love god stepped back into her booth. Everyone hexpectantly looked at Briar's booth's door. She burst out dramatically and confidently strutted down the runway.

Briar was wearing a sleek, dramatic, black party dress, ending just above the knees. She had paired her dress with tall pink heels that had black rose designs covering them. A rose ring was on her fourth finger. The dress had no straps, and Briar's hair had a few more pink streaks and was completely let down. Everyone cheered and clapped as she strutted off. As soon as she had stepped into her booth, Duchess slipped out gracefully and walked lightly down the runway.

Her hair was styled normally, but her outfit was different. She wore a swan-inspired dress, the bodice covered in white feathers flecked with black and the lower part was a tutu. The tutu was white (like the bottom of the bodice) and faded to black as it went down. Of course, Duchess wore her ever-present ballet heels, but, now, they were a bit taller and shimmered, like the rest of her outfit. The dress was strapless, and a black pendant rested on her chest. She gracefully danced off the runway as she received a fair amount of applause and cheers.

Finally, Raven stepped out, and the crowd went silent in pure awe.

Raven was wearing a gorgeous dress that ended just above the middle of her thighs. It was dark purple and shimmery, and it was strapless. The dress flaunted her curves perfectly. Raven had a, well, RAVEN inspired bracelet on, along with a raven inspired necklace, and her high-heeled, knee high boots were black. Her large eyes were lined with shimmery black and dusted with purple, and her lips were also a shimmery, dark purple. Finally, everyone was cheering and clapping.  
_

Ten minutes later, the contestants were lined up, waiting to see the scores. The audience had finished voting and the judges had done the math. Poppy stood up and pointed at the jumbotron. "The scores will come up in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

**Cliffhanger! Sorry! More evil Apple element will come in next chapter! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

_1. Briar Beauty_

_2. Raven Queen_

_3. Duchess Swan_

_4. C.A. Cupid_

The crowd began to cheer...

... and a knife sped to Raven, who was the only one to notice it. Raven ducked and started moving the other three contestants off the stage.

"Crazy... *whoosh*(from the knife)... person throwing knives from tech station!"

"What the..."

The crowd was freaking out now, except Hunter, who was trying to make a ladder, Briar, who had fallen asleep, Dexter, who was trying to get to Raven, the other contestants' boyfriends, who were trying to help their girlfriends get to safety, and the teachers, who were trying to get into the tech station.

Raven moved around as knives clattered to the floor. Suddenly, though, one knife hit home and stabbed her in the leg. Raven gritted her teeth and continued trying to dodge the knives.

Two more hit, one in her other leg and one in the arm, and the knives stopped when Hunter made it up the ladder. "Got her!" he yelled triumphantly. "But, uh, help, cause she has a knife?"

The teachers soon pounced on the to-be killer when Hunter managed to open the door. Back on stage, Raven was steadily losing blood. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Dexter's face.  
_

A week later, Raven's eyes fluttered open.

In the hospital.

In the Emergency section.  
_

"Are... are you okay?" Dexter winced, apparently slapping himself mentally for saying something so silly, in his opinion.

"Yeah, except the headache. These pillows seem to be made of iron."

Dexter laughed a bit as the doctors walked in the door for Raven's allotted time.

"B-but how? She should be in her coma for another day or so."

"I was talking to her. I don't know. She just... woke up."

"I followed his voice. I could hear and feel everything you didn't drug me for. Complaint on the pillows. What are they made of?"

"Uh... feathers and mineral rock bits."

"No wonder they hurt. Painkiller for head, due to pillow?"

The doctor wrote something down on her clipboard and cleared her throat. "There was some minor infection, but we have taken care of that. The knives, luckily, missed anything that would permanently disable you. But, it will be a bit... painful as you recover. Unless..."

"Yeah, unless I want to use even more painful magic. I choose magic, I can do it, just have some painkillers and a chocolate cappuccino ready. Extra whip, chocolate drizzle. And can I call Maddie? Thanks."

A doctor looked at a smaller male nurse, and he rushed off, most likely to get Raven's request. Dexter handed Raven his phone.

"Thanks, Dex."

"No problem..." Raven quickly snuck a kiss on his lips, leaving him red-faced. She found his contacts (he had opened it for her) and scrolled down until she found Maddie. Raven pressed her name and chose call.

"... Oh, hey Mads. Just 'woke up' maybe, uh, five or ten minutes ago. What's up?..." 'Yays' could be heard from the other side. "... So, you guys are waiting for me to get back?... Okay, well, uh, the doctors are glaring at me now, so, uh, see you soon! Bye!" Raven hung up.

The doctors got the to magic users and positioned them. "Start healing in five... four... three... two... one...

**-Raven POV-**

"Hey, ugh, so was Apple the killer?"

"Spot on. Now that we had the evidence, we filed that she was also the tree-with-fire incident and the bomb incident. They used truth serum, and she admitted to doing it. Right now, she is on high surveillance and locked in a new room. They moved her."

"Really? Great! Ow..." I trailed off as my leg started hurting me again.

"Yeah. Also, it's just me and you in the competition, girlie!"

"Cool."

"Hm, I'm gonna throw a party, you wanna help?"

"Sure, what's it for?"

"Just to be a party! I mean, it doesn't need a purpose, does it?"

"Nah, not really... Yeesh, why can't the painkiller work already?"

"Faulty medicine. You going to be fine?"

"Yeah. So, when should I prep the party?"

"Well, it's tomorrow, so the school should know by tonight. It's in the Grimmnasium, so get there around five. The party starts at seven. Bring Maddie. And whoever after else you want."

"Okay, see you then. And, by the way, when's the next round?"

"Let me think, uh, in two days."

"Got it. What's it on?"

"Surprise. Just dress your best!"

"Thanks! Oh, dear, gotta go! I'm helping Maddie with her shift at the Shoppe. Bye!"

"Bye!"  
_

Little did they know that Apple was plotting in her new room...

... making a full-proof plan that would kill Raven.

Forever-after.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi! SUPER sorry about the long chapter update, but here it is. Enjoy!**

Apple sat on the junky bed she had been given. She knew that tonight was one of Briar's random parties. How dare they try to party without HER, the future queen!

The blonde knew what she was going to do. She only needed a spoon, a lock of Holly's hair, and access to the Chemythstry lab.

"Excuse me, but can I talk to my dad?" she said to the security cameras.

Ten minutes later, she was looking at a live projection of him. "You know how you awe me a favor, daddy? And how you are bound with a prince's promise? Well, I need..."  
_

"Hey, Briar!"

Raven walked in the Grimmnasium, wearing casual clothing and carrying a bag that most likely had her party clothes in it. Behind her trailed Maddie, Cerise, and Dexter.

"Hi, Raven! And Maddie, Cerise, and Dexter! So, Raven, I would like you to perform a bit towards the end of the party. Maybe do Popular Song. And a few others. You know how you wrote quite a few and put them on MirrorTunes. Maddie and Cerise, main assignment for setting up: decorations. The decor is in those boxes." Briar pointed to a stack of cardboard boxes. "Dexter and Raven, main assignment for setting up: get the stage and DJ equipment set up, get the punch table ready, make sure there is PLENTY of whipped air. Go!" Briar walked off to talk to the guy in charge of lights. The group all got to work.  
_

Apple had what she needed, but she was going to wait for the final Round. She wanted to kill Raven right when the winner was going to be announced.

And, now, she wanted to kill the other contestants, too.  
_

Finally, the party was set up, and it was booming.

Melody Piper was spinning tunes on the DJ station, people were partying on the dance floor, and whipped air was going fast.

Everyone was having a good time.

Finally, Briar stepped up on stage and silenced everyone.

"Hi, y'all, are you having a GREAT time?"

"YEAH!" the hyped-up crowd yelled.

"I said, are you having a GREAT time?"

"YEAH!" the crowd yelled louder.

"Okay, then. Well, I've got a treat for you! Tonight, we'll have our very musical prodigy singing for us! Please welcome Raven Queen!"

Everyone cheered as Raven stepped on stage. Tonight, she was wearing a purple, glittery tube top, a loose black skirt ending just above the knees, and black combat heels. Her hair was glittery, and so was her black eyeliner and mascara. Other than that and her shiny, slightly purple lip gloss, she had no makeup or jewelry.

"Hi, uh, so the first song I'll be doing is Popular Song, like you know from the Muse-ic Round. Come on up, Dex!" **Note: you can imagine Dex wearing whatever after clothing you want him to. Also, I am not putting down the lyrics for this song again, so see Muse-ic Round for lyrics  
_**

When the song finished, everyone clapped and cheered. Dexter walked off the stage as Raven said into the microphone, "The next song is Brave."

**Brave is NOT my song. It is by Sara Bareilles. I am just putting down the lyrics.**

You can be amazing,  
You can turn a phrase into a  
Weapon or a drug.

You can be the outcast,  
Or be the backlash of  
Somebody's lack of love.

Or you could start speaking up.  
Nothing's gonna hurt you,  
The way that words do  
And they settle 'neath your skin.

Kept on the inside,  
No sunlight,  
Sometimes a shadow wins.

But I wonder what would  
Happen if you

Say what you wanna say!  
And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna  
See you be brave!

With what you wanna say!  
And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna  
See you be brave!

I just wanna see you,  
I just wanna see you,  
I just wanna see you,  
I wanna see you be brave!(x2)

Everybody's been there,  
Everybody's been stared  
Down  
By the enemy.

Fallen for the fear,  
And done some  
Disappearing,  
Bow down to the mighty.

Don't run,  
Stop holding your tongue.

Maybe there's a way out of  
The cage where you live.  
Maybe one of these days  
You can let the light in.

Show me how big your  
Brave is!

Say what you wanna say!  
And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna see you  
Be brave!

With what you want to say,  
And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna see you  
Be brave!

Innocence, your history of  
Silence  
Won't do you any good.  
Did you think it would?

Let your words be anything  
But empty.  
Why don't you tell them the  
Truth?

Say what you wanna say,  
And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna see you  
Be brave!

With what you wanna say,  
And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna see you  
Be brave!

I just wanna see you,  
I just wanna see you,  
I just wanna see you,  
I wanna see you be brave! (x2)

I just wanna see you,  
I just wanna see you,  
I just wanna see you (2x)  
**End Song.**

**Hi, so the chapter's not over yet, but I just think that the songs I put down are good for Raven. If you have any negative comments on the songs, then PM me instead of putting it in your review. Thanks! Also, Raven performed other songs, but these two are my personal faves for her (I also like Royals [by Lorde], but not as much)  
_**

"Oh, my Grimm. Worst. Case. Of. Nerves. Ever. After." Raven snuggled into her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Really? I couldn't tell. You did great."

"Come on, you're just saying tha-"

Suddenly, Raven stopped. "Did you just hear that?"

"Hear wha..." Raven put her hand over the adorkable prince's mouth. The noise came again. It was the sound of heels running through the halls. "Hey, follow me, and be quiet." Raven removed her hand from Dexter's mouth and quietly walked out the door. Both looked and saw a dark figure running down the hall. Eventually, after following her for a while, they saw her enter the Chemythstry Lab. Watching the door, they saw the figure run out, holding a cauldron filled with potion-making ingredients and spellbooks. Unfortunately, the figure broke a bottle holding a teleport potion inside, in such a way so that the glowing portal hid the mysterious girl from view. Then, it disappeared.  
_

Breaking out of her room was easy. They thought she didn't know, but they turned off the security cameras when they saw her sleeping. All she had to do was pretend to sleep, then they beeped and turned off. Just to be safe, she took her whip made of super strong, enchanted silk (her dad gave her this instead of Holly's hair lock. The hair would just be weird) tied on a spoon and broke the cameras, using the spoon part.

She had run down the hallways and grabbed everything she needed for poisonous potions, and a restricted poison potion book, and stuffed it in a cauldron. Apple had picked up an already made teleport potion and ran outside.

She teleported to an underground cavern. Apple looked at the potion book and began to work.

**Hi! So this chapter is over, but a new one will be out soon. Also, hex out my other new stories: Dagger; Potion. Dagger is a one-chapter fic, so don't hexcpect any more in it. I'll put more chapters in Potion once this fic is complete. Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter was inspired by Divergent. No direct reference to it, though.**

Backstage.

Dark.

Nervous.

Light. Voices. Crowd. Grimm. Silence. Voice.  
_

"Students of Ever After High, we have one announcement before we has escaped."

The students began to yell, freak out, boo, or do some kind of combination of said reactions.

"But, I assure you that we have the staff and authorities on it right now." Grimm waited as the students hushed themselves.

"Each competitor will enter separately and sit in this chair." Grimm snapped and a spotlight shone onto a chair, with wires connecting to the large screen above the stage. "They will drink the serum given to them and will experience a simulation of fears and strange situations. Afterwards, you, the student body, will elect the winner of the title, MISS EVER AFTER HIGH!" After saying this, another spotlight shone on the crown. It was a disappointment, really. It wasn't really a crown, even. Just a plain silver headband. The crowd riled up and booed until Grimm shushed them rather loudly."It changes when the winner puts it on, to match the winner's style!" he roared angrily. Realizing what he had just done, he cleared his throat, straightened his tie, and called Briar in.

Briar strutted confidently down to the chair, all glitz and glamour. Her dress was a hot pink shade and ended unevenly, the left side knee-length and the right mid-thigh. It had a top layer of black netting with thorny and rose designs. Her knee-high boots were stilletto heels and a shiny black, but had a minimal amount of pink, glitzy glitter. Above the strapless dress was a pink pendant resting on her chest, which had a rose carved on it, like the one on her pink ring. Briar's dark brown eyes seemed brighter with her strong pink eyeshadow, and her lips shone with a glossy pink lipstick. Her hair had more pink streaks than usual and was completely let down. The crowd cheered as Briar sat down and drank the unnatural orange liquid.

-**Briar's POV-**

As soon as that stuff went down my throat (and after I almost threw up from the disgusting taste) everything wobbled and faded out to a grassy-green field. All my current friends, sitting on chairs, were there...

... and so was a mysterious, black-clothed person wearing a mask. Holding a gun. I realized I was tied to a chair, and realized, so were my friends. The person pointed a gun at Raven and shot her dead. She disappeared. No, no, one of my worst fears. I screamed and tried to move, but the chair was bolted firmly to the ground. Everyone got shot and killed silently as I struggled. Finally, the person reached me. It pulled off the mask, revealing my face. She shot, and the vision changed again.  
_

While this was happening, Apple paced below, figuring out the best way to kill the contestants. When she finally found the perfect potion, she realized she wouldn't have enough to kill ALL the competitors, former and current, so she began to decide.

_Hmm... not Cedar, she isn't a threat... not Cupid, need her to make Daring mine again... Blondie needs to film my speeches... That leaves Raven, Cerise, Maddie, Duchess, Briar, and Ashlynn. Perfect! _The evil girl cackled and got to work.  
_

Briar, after many simulations, stood up and wobbled backstage. Grimm pointed and called out Raven.

Raven shyly stepped out, looking paler than normal. Obviously nervous.

Her hair was the same at the top, but it now ended choppily at her shoulders instead of at her chin. The purple glittered and the black sparkled. Her dress was beautiful, light at the top and dark at the bottom, the main color purple. The skirt was uneven. The middle of the front part of it went as high as half an inch above mid-thigh. Then, both sides went down, sloping so that the back (when they rejoined together) was right above her knees. The entire dress glittered, but the top part was sequined. It was strapless and outlined Raven's chest and curves perfectly. The skirt was loose and hemmed with a small, black frill all around. She also wore black fishnet tights. Covering her feet were hextremely tall high heels. The heels were black and had purple glitter on them. Raven's eye's were lined with a shimmery dark purple that was almost black, powdered with a strong purple, and her eyelashes, as in the Question Round, had glittery black mascara and little fake diamonds. Her dark, purple, shimmery lips were in a nervous smile. A silver serpentine bracelet rested in the middle of her upper left arm and a chain-like bracelet was around her right wrist. Both hand's nails were painted black at the tips and faded to a lighter purple towards her cuticles, glittering all the way.

Raven sat down as the crowd cheered. She drank the serum and the scene changed rapidly.

**-Raven's POV-**

Instead of the Charmitorium, I was now in a dark room. Then, I spotted myself.

In the mirror.

Dressed like an evil queen and holding an apple.

I tried to move, but I couldn't. My body picked up a potion and drank. I went through the Snow White story fast. Apple was poisoned. Daring couldn't save her, though. Then, I suddenly left my body, and I, apparently, started taking over the world. In a blur, I saw myself do what my mother did. And worse. I was unstoppable. Finally, the end of the fear. Becoming an evil queen.

Next, I faded out, and I was now in a brightly lit white room. Dexter was across from me. Tied up and crying.

I felt a gun at my head. A voice, Apple's, whispered, "Choose: your life or his."

"Mine."

"Too bad." Apple shot Dexter and I began to scream. She then shot me, and the scene faded out again.  
_

Finally, Raven got out of the simulations and proceeded to walk backstage. Well, try to. In the middle, she fell and had to be helped the rest of the way.

**Hi! So, I am cutting this chapter in half because the second half is going to be longer (I think; depends on wording), but you'll see what happens next soon! Please review! **


	14. Chapter 14

"Students of Ever After High, please take out your MirrorPads and open your school email account."

The students did as Grimm said. At the top was an email titled 'Vote' from Grimm for each student.

"Open the link and vote."

So, everyone did. First, Crowd Favorite.

Fairest.

Kindest.

Most Unique.

Most Graceful.

Smartest.

Most Mysterious.

Most Creative.

Most Traditional.

And, finally, Miss EAH. Each student chose a fairy teen, depending on the options. After a long (and slightly awkward) silence, everyone finished and Grimm proceeded to call each competitor (current and former) on stage.

"Cedar Wood!"

Cedar had decked out for this round. She had somehow managed to get her somewhat rebellious locks into a messy bun with purple strands braided in. Her dress was definitely not casual. It ended right below the knees and was a loose material throughout. However after, it was tight enough at the top to keep shape, but not hextremely tight. It was lavender with thin, white, vertical stripes in the skirt. It glittered, like her lavender nail polish. Her wedges were not too tall, but they had some height. They were a glittery white. Her make-up matched, as she was wearing pink lip gloss and lavender eyeshadow.

"Blondie Lockes!"

Blondie stepped up in a navy blue, velvet, faux-fur lined dress that ended near her shins. Her canary-blonde hair was in a hair bun she would describe as "just right", streaked with the same navy blue and tied with a faux-fur hair tie. Her nails were french mani-cursed and her feet were tucked into elegant navy blue, faux-fur lined heels. She was even wearing a faux-fur boa. Her eyes were dusted with a glittery shade that only glittered and added no extra color, but her eyelashes had mascara. Her lips were red.

"Apple White would come up, but she is currently, ah... you know... so instead, up is Ashlynn Ella!"

Ashlynn wore a nature-inspired dress. The dress reached her knees, but the back trailed behind her on the ground a little bit. It was mint-green - pure mint green, but had gold and coral glitter covering it. The dress had a tight top, but the bottom was completely loose. Her hair was completely let down and had pink flowers tucked into it. Her nails were completely natural. Ashlynn's shoes were fablelous, as ever; medium heels, glittery, and pink, with just a hint of mint-green. Leaf-like designs covered it. She wore no make-up hexcept for clear, shiny lip gloss.

"Cerise Hood!"

Cerise kept her hood up, as always, but she wore her Legacy Day hood instead of her usual one. Her dress was tight, efficient and stretchy, reaching right above her knees. It was black and glittered, but faded to red as it went down, of course keeping glitter. Surprisingly, she wore make-up. She dusted her eyes with shimmery-black and lined them with a midnight shade. Her lips bore a red lip gloss. And, for the first time everyone could remember, she wore real high heels. They were black, a little low, and strappy, and they shined just enough. Her nails were painted red.

"Maddie Hatter!"

Maddie stepped on stage actually wearing something that made since, unlike when she was still competing. Her crazy hair was put in a side pony, the other side of her head occupied by a purple, teal, and black hat. Her dress billowed out at the waist and ended at around her knees. The top part was teal, with black sleeves and glitter, while the skirt was teal and striped with purple. Her flats were black with one little teal-and-purple teapot on each of the shoes. Her eyeshadow was glittery and teal, her eyeliner was purple, and her lip gloss was clear and sparkly. Her nails were teal with little black teapot designs.

"C.A. Cupid!"

Cupid was wearing a whole lotta pink. Her pink hair had golden streaks and was put into a braided bun (she braided her hair, then tied it in a bun). Her dress was pink and had off the shoulder sleeves that stopped right above her elbows. It was v-necked and the skirt ended loosely at her shins. In addition, it had gold glitter and shiny gold designs. Her shoes were her regular, signature heels, but they were taller and shimmered just a tad. Her nails were pink with gold glitter scattered at the tips. Cupid's eyes were powdered pink and her lips were a light pink, with a darker shade of pink making a heart in the center.

"Duchess Swan!"

Duchess glided up and leaped into line, ending in an arabesque. Her dress was flexible and made for dancing. The color was white, and the top was covered with feathers. The skirt was loose, white at the top and fading to black near the bottom. She wore white tights and black, shimmery ballet heels. Her marble hair was in a side, twisting fishtail and a black-and-white, feathery hair pin rested in her hair. Her auburn eyes shimmered with black, sparkly powder and her lips were red and shimmery. Her nails were white, black at the tips, and had black feather designs. Pearls laced around on her dress.

Grimm called in Briar, who showed no signs of being woozy, and Raven, who stumbled and wobbled, looking paler than usual, still feeling sick from the previous round. He began to announce who won the titles...

... when the microphone fizzled out. Then, the lights dimmed. And a spotlight shone on a certain evil girl on stage.

Apple White.

Her blonde hair was dyed black and put up in an evil-looking, messy bun with a blood-red, talon-like hair pin. Her dress was a full length, red, old-fashioned dress with lots of black lace. Sharp, evil black shoes peeped out. Her blue eyes were narrowed and had a red cat-eye design of eyeshadow. Her brows furrowed and her blood-red lips were curved in an evil grin. She cackled as Raven wobbled even more, enjoying her fear. She cast her eyes around the audience and hissed. They all flinched. Apple began speaking:

"Raven! You have taken my rightful place as FAIREST of them ALL! I should win! But, noooo, you and your PETTY friends, and my PETTY former friends just HAD to bump me out of the competition!" After creating a red circular shield with a ten feet diameter all around, she then whistled loudly and highly. Everyone covered their ears (hexcept Raven, who fell without support because the people holding her up were covering their ears, too) and a swarm of mutated bone rats flew in. Now, they had bat wings and were bigger and eviler than ever after. They each carried a syringe of poison.

"Cedar! Cupid! Blondie! HERE!" Apple bellowed. When none of the girls went towards her, she raised her hands, which were now radiating a red aura, and pulled back. The three girls were surrounded by the same red and pulled towards her. Then, Apple pointed at them and red chains magically appeared. Maddie began saying something, but nobody heard. Finally, Maddie got her voice heard above the crowd. "The dangerous deliverer's deliveries are much more dangerous than they seem!" Maddie didn't realize she was speaking Riddlish... "Thanks, Narrator! I meant that the bone rat bats are carrying poison! I heard the Narrator say so!" Ugh, she heard... Oh well, back to the story...

Immediately, everyone started trying to get onstage, but Apple zapped Grimm off and created a forcefield around the stage. Apple snapped and the rat bats zoomed to the non-chained contestants. Briar fell, then Ashlynn, Duchess, Maddie (but she sat up and drank a cup of tea, then gripped the tea pot and wrote something it tea, then fell back down again) and Raven. The one getting Cerise was slow and Cerise was running, until Apple zapped some chains on her. As the bone rat bat thing flew near her, Cerise struggled...

... and her hood fell off. She immediately turned red in the face, but her eyes started turning golden as the crowd gasped. Before feral Cerise could bite the mutated rat, the syringe hit home and she went down. Everyone was surprised and began to freak out a little. Hunter began going crazy, hitting the forcefield with his axe, Sparrow hardened and stared in disbelief, some new guy, Alistair, began to spout Riddlish quietly while sitting sadly, Daring was trying to climb the smooth forcefield, Hopper turned into a very angry frog and was trying not to get squashed, and Dexter, well...

Let's just say that Apple was HEXTREMELY lucky he wasn't on the other side of the forcefield, 'cause he was going ballistic, rivaling Cerise's wolf side when it got angry. If he WAS on Apple's side, uh... well... you can imagine.

Apple zapped herself with a darkness vision spell, made it dark, and used her new magic to lift the victims and the ones chained up. They floated behind her as she ran to the mirror to her cavern.  
_

The light's went on, and the shields were gone, along with the girls. Dexter broke down sobbing, then he stood up and got the girl's boyfriends as students ran around scared and the teachers tried to herd them to their dorms.

"Hey, 'scuse me, please kiss this frog?" Dexter offered up Hopper's froggy form to a pretty princess dressed in gray. So frightened, she just did it, following orders. "Hopper, don't you DARE turn back, you hear? Get that new blond kid, Alistair. And bring Sparrow. Drag him if he's still stiff with shock."

Later, all the boys were there, looking at Dexter (hexcept Sparrow, who was still staring and indeed had to be dragged). "Okay, so... Sparrow?" Dexter waved his hand in front of his face. Nothing happened. So, Dexter slapped him. Hard.

"Hey, whoa, what was that for?" Sparrow glared as he rubbed his red cheek.

"You were still blanked out. I got a plan. Alistair, you're from Wonderland, right?"

"What you say is true..."

"Can you hear the Narrator?"

"Sometimes. I have to try hard."

"Then TRY! She, if she exists, might just drop a hint."

"Okay..."  
_

Hey, Narrator...

_Hey, yourself! I am TRYING to narrate a STORY here!_

Sorry, I just thought you do a good job describing things. Can I hear you describe the stage?

_No, sorry._

But, when you do, it's amazing! When you describe things, I can actually see it when I close my eyes!

_Okay, fine... I love flattery..._

_The stage was empty, neglected in the chaos. For a weird reason, Apple had taken the Most Traditional trophy, the first that was going to be awarded. Oh, yeah, she had won it because no contestant could have two trophies, so by process of elimination, she had won it. The wooden stage was empty, hexcept a few drops of poison that escaped the syringes and a trail of 6-Day Stain Blueberry Tea leading to a mirror that started out at words, written sloppily and hurriedly in the same tea, that spelled: __**Echo's all around, but from above, not a sound. Deep in darkness and bends, forgotten in the end...**_

Thanks, Narrator! I can see why my cru... uh, I mean, Maddie, finds you so helpful! Bye for now!

_Wait, what? Ugh, I fell for it! Why am I such a sucker for sweet boys with flattery?  
__

The boys watched as Alistair shut his eyes hard and apparently concentrating on talking to the non-existent Narrator... _Hey, wait a moment! Alistair! You there? Tell them I'm real! Please! It's the least you could do after tricking me!_

"... Okay. Guys, she's real. She said that you guys were watching me 'concentrating on talking to the non-existent Narrator'... She said that there's a trail in 6-Day Stain Blueberry Tea leading to a mirror, starting at the words 'Echo's all around, but from above, not a sound. Deep in darkness and bends, forgotten in the end.' It's Riddlish..."

Alistair got quiet. The teachers were heading in their direction as they herded students, so they ran to a dark corner. The adorkable nerd in the group spoke. "Alistair, please translate."

"Uh, it means... Abandoned Cavern... the plug-in name on a TravelMirror is, uh... GALPWPMLWEOS REXVMIQL DLTAOIHR. If you use every other letter, it says, uh... APPLES EVIL LAIR. Obvious. Apple can be really dumb sometimes..." Dexter didn't waste a second. Now that the Charmitorium was empty and the chaos was outside, he jumped onto the stage and found the poison drops. "Hey, Sparrow, can I use your spare rock gloves?"

"Y-yeah, anything to save the girls." The others stared at him, surprised he cared. "What, I have feelings! Just because I do a whole lot of guitar riffs that sometimes annoy people doesn't mean I don't care!" They turned back to Dexter, who hadn't paused. He had just pick-pocketed the gloves and his brother's pocket knife and, while wearing the gloves, was cutting a thin slice of wood that the poison landed on. Sparrow whistled and applauded Dexter for stealing like that, but the now-exemplary prince didn't pay attention. Pulling out a test tube from an inside pocket, he dropped the wood in it and pulled out another test tube from the same pocket. "Explain those tubes, please." Hopper said, still comforting Hunter, who was sobbing like a baby since Alistair had translated Maddie's message. "Humphrey said to carry them for him. Said they were fragile. A favor I owed him for debugging my MirrorPad. Test tube with green liquid dissolves everything hexcept poisons, then disappears, leaving poison behind."

Dexter poured the green liquid into the test tube containing the contaminated wood as the other boys stared in disbelief. Five seconds later, all that was left was the red poison. He quickly pulled out his MirrorPad and pulled up a site about identifying poisons (after searching for it). He found one that matched what was in the test tube:

_The True Witch's Poison_

_Only a true witch can make this. If made by a not true witch, it will have no effect. But, if made by a true witch, it will kill the victims. After application through drinking, eating, touching, or putting in via syringe, victim has 5 hours to receive True Love's Kiss. If received in specified time, victim will wake up completely healed. If not, they will be dead. Forever after._

Dexter finished reading it out loud and looked up, steely determination in his eye. "Guys, let's go save our girls."

**Aaaaaand... Cliffhanger! Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

Dexter tossed the gloves back to Sparrow and the pocket knife to Daring (sheathed) and ran to the mirror. The others followed. The determined, leading dork plugged in the destination, then the boys filed in, one by one.

After stepping out, seeing the labyrinth they landed in, and shaking off the sick feeling MirrorTraveling gave you, Dexter immediately began sniffing the air.

"What're you doing?" Hopper asked.

"Trying to pick up Rae's perfume. She accidentally applied a _tad_ too much 'cause she was nervous and her hands were shaking."

Hunter raised his brows. "Sooo... you were in her room, huh?"

"Yeah, but..." Dexter saw the smirks on the others faces. "Hey, it wasn't like that! She just said that she had something to give me...HEY! She gave me a new MirrorPod because she knew I accidentally dropped my old one! Yeesh!" Dexter turned around, his face on fire. Not noticing the grins and sniggers still coming from the gang, Dexter continued to scent the air.  
_

"Blondie, I command you to film me and say what I'm wearing is the new trend! Also that **I** am the FAIREST of them ALL, not that soon-to-be dead Raven there." When Blondie didn't take out her MirrorPad (yes, she kept her MirrorPad) Apple yelled."DO it, or you'll join them!" Blondie scrambled to turn on her MirrorPad as Cedar was forced to tidy Apple up. "Wait, don't film yet... CUPID!"

"Y-yes?"

"Go find Daring and bring him here. Then, SHOOT him with one of your arrows so that HE loves ME!"

Cupid sat down and refused to move. Apple zapped her with a painful spell that also ensured that she would grab Daring come back as soon as she saw him. Two in one, Apple liked efficiency. Cupid fluttered a ways down, then sat down and stayed there, crying, without Apple knowing.

Apple began posing as Blondie videoed and half-heartedly narrated. "So, what's in right now..."

Apple kept on posing, but chose not to hear the reporter's annoying (to her) voice. _Glad I set up traps, if they even figure out wherever after I am, those idiotic do-gooders.  
__

The guys fought past the traps that the perfume scent led through, until they started getting harder.

At one point, there was metal spikes repeatedly shooting up and down too quickly to jump or run through. They never thought about throwing Sparrow's precious guitar, still strapped on his back, through...

"Thanks, Narrator! Dex... *whisper* *whisper*..." _Aargh! I hate it when I change the story..._

Dexter looked at Sparrow and said, "Hey, man, we could really use a rock song right now. Play one of your not released ones?"

"Uh, sure?" This was the time where earning Sparrow's respect was good. It meant he followed orders.

Sparrow unstrapped his guitar and started to tune it. Then, quickly, Dexter said, "Sparrow, behind you! Duchess's ring!" Sparrow whipped his head around and Dexter snatched the guitar. Quickly, he tossed it to his athletic brother, strong roommate, and not-as-athletic, not-as-strong dorky friend, who all threw it through at the same time. Luckily, it landed unharmed on the other side. "Wh... HEY! MY BABY!" Sparrow snarled ferally and launched himself at the spikes. A few spikes headed towards him, but he nimbly dodged (somehow, it should have been impossible... or at least a 99.99% chance of impalement and death) and got to the other side. He began cradling and stroking his guitar, until Dexter yelled, "There should be a control panel over there! I saw one! Push the red button!"

Sparrow snapped out of his trance and pushed the button. The spikes receded and the boys crossed.

Then came a proper beast, chained in the middle of a room. It was a huge bone rat, eight feet tall. Definitely not natural.

The boys thought and thought, until Daring thought of something. He pulled out his sword, and before anyone could stop him, he rushed at the rat. The group yelled, but before Daring could get slashed, he flashed a smile at the rat. Full teeth. In the darkness and to a dark creature, it was blinding. The rat shrieked and threw it's palms to it's eyes as Daring pointed the sword and took aim. The blonde prince rushed at the rat and ran his sword through it's heart. Darkness replaced the rat and faded to dust. Daring swung his sword and shrugged. "Well?"

"Good job, but next time, don't almost get killed."

"Got it, Hopper."

Running on, they came to a long body of murky water. Dexter recognized the water as a rare poison that would burn and destroy any part of an animal or human, dead or alive, but would leave other matter alone. In it, close to them, floated a lily pad and a stick on top. Dexter got an idea.

"Hey, Hopper, can you recite a poem about Briar?"

"Uh, well... I... Iiii..." With a poof, Hopper turned into a frog. "Prince Dexterous Charming, how art am I supposed to turn back? My eyes do not spot any fair maidens."

"Lets just say, I got a cure. GO!"

Hopper hopped into the lily pad and began to paddle with the stick. This one was longer and definitely a bit awkward for the ones waiting.

Finally, when he made it to the other side, Dexter yelled out, "The cure's on the pad! Drink it!"

Indeed, on the pad was an itty-bitty vial of blue liquid, an antidote to all animal transformations, once again from Humphrey's stuff in Dexter's pocket. Hopper gulped it down, turned back, and pressed the red button. The poison drained itself and a metal walkway extended over the large pit.

Running on, they turned and ran into a wooden panel. Literally. They could tell by the shimmer that it was enchanted to never move. Just to keep them out. Hunter swung out his axe and began to chop. "Best $20 I spent for an enchantment!" Hunter exclaimed as he worked. "What?" Alistair asked.

"Alistair, I paid that Enchantment Store owner 20 bucks to enchant my axe so it could chop through anything, enchanted or not, hexcept magic force fields and enchanted metals. That would be... impossible." Hunter finally finished a hole in the panel and the boys walked through one by one.

They reached another trap, but Raven's perfume smell was getting stronger. This trap was a very long, deep pit. Dexter took a spare paperclip and dropped it. It took ten seconds for a clatter to be heard. Then, Alistair just walked down the sides as if it was flat ground. Eventually, he walked straight up the other side and pressed the red button. The pit's floor raised for a walkway. "How'd you do that?"

"Uh, I don't know, Daring. For some weird reason, me and Maddie share a talent of doing impossible things if we don't know it's impossible. Was that impossible?"

"Yeah."

"Boo. That was actually kinda fun."

The guys continued, but ran into Cupid. Cupid looked at them, then saw Daring. "Oh, no. Guys! I have to grab Daring! I'm sorry!" Pulled by a strange force, she quickly flew to Daring, grabbed him by the arms, and pressed a timed button. The iron bars disappeared, but as soon as Cupid and the panicking Daring were through, they reappeared like they never left. The timed button disappeared.

Dexter had enough. He was mad. First his girl, now his bro AND friend? THAT was NOT cool. He was so angry, his hands began to shake, like they did when he got really mad. Like when Apple had, at first, poisoned Raven. Hunter noticed and said to the panicking group, "Guys, uh... stay back... away from Angry Dex..." The group shut up and backed away as Dexter grabbed two iron bars.

"Uh, Dexter, that's enchanted to never bend. It'd be hard with magic, let alone..."

Dexter bent the bars, then proceeded to charge through them.  
_

The group followed, but only just entered when they saw Angry Dexter charging at Apple. Time to fight. One hour left.

**Cliffhanger! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

"GO TO HELL, WITCH!" Angry Dexter yelled as he pounced on Apple and began beating her up. Punch here, there, a kick somewhere painful for Apple...

Finally, and unluckily, Apple recovered from the shock and threw Angry Dexter off using magic, but with quite a bit of difficulty. Angry Dexter thumped against the ceiling and fell to the ground, leaving dents in both surfaces from the forces of the impact. Angry Dexter stood up and continued his attack.

While this was happening, Cupid was forced to drag Daring to a chair with unnatural, magical strength. The guys chased after, but Cupid was a fast flier. She put him down and pressed a button on her tracking/controlling bracelet (yes, Apple gave her new servants tracking/controlling bracelets that could only come off with magic, or when someone REALLY angry ripped it off) and super powerful ropes wrapped around him. Apple saw the boys, half running towards Daring, half looking for the hidden girls, and Angry Dex still attacking, and yelled, "Blondie! Cedar! Attack!" Apple then lifted Angry Dex with magic and used extra-strong magical chains to tie him to the ceiling. It should stall him.

Apple turned to the boys going to Daring, who refused to hurt the girls magically forced into their way, zapped them towards the other half, and, ignoring the animalistic snarls from Angry Dex, she zapped them to the wall, up it, and chained them using the same chains she used on A.D. **Note: Whenever after I use Angry Dex, I'm gonna say A.D. instead.**

The witch yelled "Blondie! Cedar! Hold my prince STILL!" The two girls held him still and forced him to face Apple. They then held his eyes open. Both girls obviously looked upset.

Apple smirked and walked smoothly to Daring, not noticing that the chains on A.D. were getting close to breaking. As she walked over... "Guys! The Narrator said that A.D.'s chains were starting to break!" Alistair whispered to the boys he was chained next to.

"Really? Great. Maybe he can break us out, too?"

"Duh, Sparrow! Or, maybe, I can just turn into a frog."

"But you wouldn't be able to break the chains!"

"So, Hunter? I could go search for the girls and Briar!"

"That's true... Hopper, what do you like about Briar?"

"Well, uh, Alistair, I like everything about her... I... Iiiiii..." Hopper poofed into a frog and began hopping around the place as fast as he could.

_Wait, I helped AGAIN?! Ugh! I am the worst Narrator ever after...  
__

Apple reached Daring and stroked his chin. He shuddered. "Oh, Daring, you know I love you. You could rule Ever After with me. Just join me, and love me."

"No way, you stupid, petty excuse for a princess!" Daring replied.

"Oh, Daring, I know you love me. And I know you don't mean it when you say that." Apple ran her hands down his chest. The blonde prince began to frantically try to shake her off his lap.

"Of course I mean it, you witch!" With that, Daring spat on her face. Apple froze and opened her mouth in shock. "What... the hex... did you just do? This make-up I applied wasn't hexactly easy! CUPID! He ran out of chances. Prepare your bow and arrow!"

Daring, realizing this, began freaking out. Cupid began taking aim, as slowly as she could...

... until A.D. burst from the chains on the ceiling. He landed running and, with a giant leap, he tackled Apple to the ground and knocked her out cold with a single punch. He ripped Cupid, Blondie, and Cedar's tracker and controller bracelets off and freed his brother. Then, together, they chained Apple to the chair using the magic-proof chains. "Go help Hopper look. Here's cure for him." A.D. shoved another itty-bitty bottle into Daring's hands, then ran to his tied-up friends.

He began to savagely rip the chains apart.

"Yeah, man!"

"Woohoo!"

"Thanks..."

The former servants of Apple were to shocked to speak, so they simply nodded.

"Save girls. Go." A.D. calmed down and went back to being strong leader Dexter. "Guys and girls, this caverns too big to pinpoint Raven's perfume right now, so just keep looking." He checked his watch and saw that they only had twenty minutes left.  
_

Finally, with ten minutes left on the clock, Hunter found the girls. "Guys! OVER HERE!" He immediately opened Ashlynn's coffin and kissed her, not caring who saw. Ashlynn woke up and fainted dead away when she saw where she was. Hunter was so happy he didn't care and he ran out of the cavern, towards the TravelMirror.

Sparrow looked at Duchess and said, "Couldn't I just wake her up with a song?"

"NO! True Love's Kiss has to be a REAL KISS, hence the name. JUST DO IT!" Cupid yelled.

Sparrow leaned down and kissed her, only to be greeted by a slap and a "What the Hell is going on and WHY am I being kissed without my consent?" Sparrow simply went in for more, despite his sore cheek, and gained a positive response.

Alistair looked at Maddie and, before he could kiss the sleep-talking, rolling girl, she grabbed him and kissed HIM. There's Maddie for ya, cray-cray and sweet. Also confusing when it comes to poisons and potions on her.

Daring and Cerise were still in the middle of a passionate kiss when Briar was woken up by Hopper. She promptly fell asleep.

The entire time, Dexter was attempting to open Raven's padlocked coffin and get Blondie to stop filming to open it. Unfortunately, she was still scared stiff and only aiming a camera at the scene, thanks to Cupid and Cedar. Finally, he had enough, so he walked to her and shook her shoulders. She immediately snapped out of it and handed her precious MirrorPad to Cedar. Touching the lock, she stepped back so Dexter could try to save her. Ten seconds...

Nine...

Eight...

Dexter looked at Raven...

6...

5...

4...

Dexter leaned in...

2...

1...

And he kissed, right before he could run out of time.  
_

After a week in the hospital for the girls (who were getting the poisonous residue drained out and with the exception of Maddie, who was "perfectly fine, thank you very much") Grimm finally held another assembly to officially end the competition and award the prizes. Thank hex he let go of the rebellion thing and let everyone write their own destinies.

All girls were lined up and wearing fixed-up versions of their outfits they had worn at the first attempt at the prize ceremony.

"Most Creative goes to... Cedar Wood!"

Cedar received her trophy and walked off the stage as the crowd clapped and cheered.

"Most Graceful goes to... Duchess Swan!"

Duchess daintily took the trophy and danced off the stage towards Sparrow.

"Kindest goes to... Ashlynn Ella!"

Ashlynn curtsied as birds picked up her trophy for her. She stepped off.

"Smartest... Blondie!"

Blondie took her trophy and walked off in a just right fashion.

"Fairest... C.A. Cupid!"

Cupid picked up her trophy and flew off the stage.

"Most Mysterious... Cerise Hood!"

The one difference with her outfit was that the hood was now kept down. After the initial shock at her secret, she was accepted, and no one cared that her parents were Little Red Riding Hood AND the Big Bad Wolf. She took her trophy and jumped into Daring's arms, straight off the stage.

"Most Unique... Maddie Hatter!"

Maddie walked up on her hands, grabbed the trophy with her hands, walked off on her hands, and, now on one hand, poured and drank a cup of tea.

"Crowd Favorite goes to..." The crowd was kept in suspense. Whoever after didn't win this trophy would officially be crowned Miss Ever After High.

"... Briar Beauty! So that means that this year's Miss Ever After High is-"

The crowd finished the sentence. "-RAVEN QUEEN!"

Everyone cheered as Briar took her trophy and stepped off, falling asleep mid-step and woken by Hopper and as Raven stepped up to be crowned by whoever after she chose.

"... Dexter, come on up and do the honors..." Raven smiled coyly as a red-faced Dex stepped up and took the crown from Headmaster Grimm.

Dexter gently placed the crown on Raven's head.

Immediately, in a flash of glitter, the crown changed. It was now a silver, intricate tiara, with little purple gems placed symmetrically. In the center was a large purple gem with a black carving of a raven on it. Everyone cheered as Raven smiled.  
_

At the long awaited after-party, everyone partied. The stress was over, Apple was locked in a high-security mental recovery facility with no magic, and the boys were back with their girlfriends.

As they partied, no one noticed the diamond ring on Raven's ring finger and the gold band on Dexter's...

**The end! I hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


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